Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Oh, my. That looks like fun.

Karma watched, inwardly thrumming with anticipation, as his classmates drilled what appeared to be basic knife work. He vaguely recognized the knives they were working with as the same model currently concealed in his sleeve. They hadn't noticed him yet, so he was content to merely observe how the class functioned until they did. Karma wasn't familiar with any of them, but he didn't particularly mind that fact. He had never been familiar with his classmates in Class A, either. There, he focused only on surpassing Gakushuu. Here, while he still focused on beating Gakushuu, he had another goal: to kill his monstrous teacher.

Subconsciously, Karma's eyes flitted over to analyze the giant, yellow octopus. Tall, Karma mused. Even just sitting down, you can tell he's far larger than any normal person. Those tentacles are strange, too. What can they be used for - weapons, defense, or just movement? If you ignore the height, he doesn't look particularly intimidating, either. Is that intentional? Is he trying to lower our guard by appearing innocuous? Though, Karma thought, the expression on his face twisting with amusement, that smile doesn't look as genial as it does disturbing. It's effective for concealing his thoughts - is that intentional? Karma hummed in contemplation as he sipped from his juice box. Probably, he decided. That big head of his must be brimming with secrets.

Karma's eyes lit up with manic glee at the thought of carving the knowledge from that monster's brain.

As a far corner of his mind systematically attempted to dissect the octopus's very being, Karma flexed the hand inside his pocket in trepidation. Will this work? They said he was capable of Mach 20 speed, and he's evaded all their surprise attacks. The hand clenched into a white-knuckled fist, the malleable rubber fastened to his palm adapting to the sudden curve. It doesn't matter if this kills him or not. My first try always fails, anyway. I just have to keep chipping away. His reputation, his psyche, his serenity - I'll destroy it all. Then, and only then, I'll kill him.  Karma's lips twisted into a wry, bitter smile. She'd love me if I saved the planet, right?

Right?

They noticed him eventually.

P.E. had ended, and the students were gradually migrating back to the classroom. Karma's eyes darted from student to student, scrutinizing their uniforms, posture, expressions, and attitude. They don't seem very concerned. You'd think they'd be more apprehensive - they're in the company of the super-creature who destroyed the moon, after all.

Oh, well, Karma inwardly sighed. Everyone knows Class E is full of oddballs.

You'll fit in perfectly, then, won't you?

Shut up.

Karma knew when he had finally been spotted. There, at the bottom of the hill, stood two boys. Karma focused on the first. The boy (if he was a boy. Karma wasn't completely sure) had blue hair - something Karma would've thought strange if not for his own oddly-colored hair. Azure eyes stared up at him in confusion as Karma's thoughts whirred. Small, he thought absently. Feminine, if he's not a girl. Weak. Karma hummed in satisfaction. Not a threat, he decided. Though his eyes do have an unusual glint in them. Karma turned his focus on the other one.

The second boy was startling only in the fact that he was so different from the boy next to him. Dark hair, blue eyes, average build - yes, that's how Karma would describe him. Average. His eyes held no malice or suspicion, and Karma knew instantly he and that boy were complete opposites. The only thing we share, Karma thought in amusement, is our height. This boy doesn't have a wicked bone in his body. Not a threat, he decided once again with an inward sigh. How boring.

Now they were studying him, and Karma felt a twinge of annoyance. He knew he stood out. Bright red hair and peculiar mercury eyes - how could he not? He was also aware that he appeared decently attractive, though no one had ever told him so directly. The girls in his previous class had whispered about him behind his back, and his looks had been frequently discussed in hushed tones. Cute, intelligent, psychotic - those were the adjectives they used most often. Of course, those girls had never actually spoken to him. Apparently, psychotic cancelled out cute and intelligent. Not that Karma particularly cared what they thought, though. Those girls annoyed him, just as being studied like a bug under a microscope annoyed him.

Karma looked past the two boys and saw the octopus making his way towards them. Show time, Karma thought gleefully as he pasted an awe-struck look on his face. He quickly descended from the top of the mountain, attention now focused wholly on the giant monster.

"Whoa, that's the Korosensei I've heard about?" he asked rhetorically, breezing past the two boys without so much as a sideways glance. "Amazing. He really does look like an octopus."

"You would be . . . Akabane Karma, right? I'd heard your suspension ended today." At that, the octopus’s yellow face darkened in warning as he crossed his tentacles. "You really shouldn't be late on your first day," the monster scolded.

He came to a halt before the octopus, heart thumping rapidly at the thought of his next move. A mixture of fear and thrill kick started the adrenaline he relied so heavily upon, and Karma fought to keep his composure. Just have to wait for the perfect time. Smile. Smile! Don't let your mask crack. Don't give anything away.

Karma faked a sheepish, guileless smile as he pretended to laugh nervously. "I've gotta get back into the rhythm of school life."

Almost there.

"It'll be more relaxed if you use my first name," Karma said as he stretched out his right hand with a soft, easygoing grin. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you, sensei."

Wait for it . . .

"Same here," the octopus replied, face frozen into that ever present cheerful look as he reciprocated Karma's offer of a handshake. "Let's have a fun and interesting year."

Now!

Karma crushed the tentacle in his grip, tossed the juice box aside, and flicked the knife from his sleeve in one motion. He lunged forward and lashed out with the knife, his easygoing smile morphed into a demented grin. The knife struck only air, though, and Karma's abrupt attack stuttered to a halt. The octopus stood several meters away, and the crowd around them seemed frozen in shock. Dammit, Karma hissed inwardly. That freak is too fast! Fast enough to dodge any point-blank attack, so why did he . . . ?

"Huh. You really are fast, and these knives really do work against you," Karma mused aloud as he studied the strips of green knife on his hand, demented grin fading to quiet amusement. "I tried cutting one into small pieces and sticking them to my hand, but . . ." He held his hand up to illustrate his point, palm held out towards the monster. "Y'know, sensei, to be deceived by such a simple trick. And on top of that, to jump back that far, aren't you a bit too frightened?"

Savage delight dominated Karma’s face as he slowly stalked towards the octopus, knife replaced in his sleeve and hands rested comfortably in his pockets. "I've heard that you're called Korosensei because you're unkillable, but what's this?" He smirked and leaned in close to the monster, eyes alight with manic glee as he crooned mockingly, "Sensei, could it be that you're actually an easy mark?"

Karma watched in fascination as the octopus's yellow complexion changed to a dark red. Ooh, he must be angry, Karma thought to himself. Is it because I hurt him or because I trash-talked? Well, he only got angry once I teased him, so it must be the trash-talking. Fragile ego? That can be exploited. Does he not like being called weak? I'll have to figure out what irks him if I'm going to keep getting under his skin. Ah, this is so much fun!

He flashed one last psychotic smile at the monster before turning away, casually strolling past his gaping classmates. You saw me just then, didn't you? All your attention was focused solely on me. How wonderful! I'm so excited for this game - are you? Ah, I can't wait until the real fun begins. I'll kill you, just wait. I won't fail at this.

I refuse to fail again. [1]

Karma wrinkled his nose at the rancid stench that permeated the air around the bag he carried. I did not think this one through, he groaned internally. That Shiota boy said the monster liked being called an octopus, so this will definitely get under his skin, but . . .

Why does it have to smell so bad?!

Karma sighed aloud, then, as he walked through the entrance of the Class E building. His footsteps had been hurried on his walk to school out of sheer desperation to be rid of the vile smell. He had left early to set up his prank, but, judging by the muffled sounds emanating from the classroom, he still wasn't the first to arrive. That fact vaguely irritated him, but it didn't really affect his plans. They better keep quiet about this, Karma thought to himself. I really don't want to hear them whine about the smell or the sight - not when I had to deal with it last night and all morning.

So Karma slid open the door of the classroom, a scowl fixed on his face, and entered the room holding a trash bag that contained a reeking, dead, ten-pound octopus. 

He deliberately ignored the stares of his classmates as he stopped before the teacher's desk. As he set the trash bag on the desk, he caught hushed whispers behind his back, but he paid them no mind. Karma drew out the knife from his sleeve with a sharp flick of his wrist and slashed an opening at the top, disregarding his classmate's audible shock at the sight of an actual knife, rather than the flimsy anti-sensei knives. He dumped the deceased octopus out of the bag and onto the desk with a resounding plop! Karma gagged at the foul stench, whatever buffer the bag served as now eradicated. This better be worth it, Karma thought. This is the most disgusting prank I've ever done, so if he doesn't react I will-

"Er, Akabane?"

Karma glanced over his shoulder at the sound of his name being called in such a nervous manner. When he realized it was the male class representative, he turned with a sigh. "Yes?"

Isogai looked uncomfortable, and he peered around Karma's should to see the dead octopus. "Well, I was just wondering what you're planning on doing with . . ." He coughed awkwardly, "That."

Karma blinked at him, not an ounce of emotion showing on his stoic expression. "This," he said, then spun around and plunged the knife still in hand deep into the octopus's head.

He thought he heard a muffled whimper from someone [2], but he wasn't entirely sure. He turned back to face Isogai, head tilted and eyes alight with twisted amusement as he questioned mockingly, "That okay?"

Isogai maintained his composure admirably, even if his complexion did lighten a shade. "I guess," he said, his voice clearly illustrating his reluctance. "Is that for an assassination?"

Karma bared his teeth in a feral grin, eyes screaming leave me alone. "Maybe."

Thankfully, Isogai received the hint. He nodded curtly, then returned to his desk and pointedly avoided looking at the decomposing cephalopod. Karma inwardly smiled at the easy victory, then exchanged his menacing expression for one of indifferent boredom as he surveyed the half-empty classroom.

"Any other questions?" he deadpanned.

Numerous heads shook in denial, so he took that as a win. Karma allowed a flicker of mania to show in his eyes as he grinned.

"Excellent," he purred.

Karma moved to take his place in the back of the classroom, mind whirring as he reviewed his assassination plan. Come on, monster. I'm ready for you.

Let's play.

Failure, failure, failure! the voice sang mockingly. How amusing! How many times did you fail today? How many times did that monster outwit you? Even the dead octopus didn't phase him! Are you really that incompetent? Are you really that foolish? You're the one who made the rules of the game - now you can't even win it? How disappointing! Do you expect her to love you with that paltry amount of effort? Where's you conviction? Where's your resolve? You're nothing but a stupid child!

Shut up.

Karma frantically gnawed on his fingernail, his previous failures to kill the monster causing the thoughts in his head to take on a hysterical note. He was perched on the trunk of a tree that jutted out from the edge of a cliff, leg swinging precariously in the wind. He had escaped from the stares and whispers of his classmates as soon as lunch rolled around and found a decent hiding spot to contemplate his next move.

Why can't I kill him? Karma thought desperately. Why do I keep failing? First Gakushuu, now this! That stupid monster - pretending he's a teacher! Pretending he cares about us. Ha! I don't buy it. I know what happens when you trust a teacher. I'm not making that mistake again. The others can be fooled by that cheerful smile - I know better. They'll see eventually, though. Either I or somebody else will destroy his teacher facade, and then they'll know. All anyone cares about is themselves. He's no different. He's just like everybody else. Just like everybody . . .

"Now then, Karma," the octopus suddenly interrupted his introspection. Karma glanced over his shoulder and spotted the octopus standing several meters away, his yellow face striped with green. The monster’s usual implacable smile had gained a taunting edge. "Today, sensei certainly provided you with lots of improvements. You can still come to kill me, you know? I will polish you until you shine even brighter."

Sensei?

Sensei, huh?

You're still playing that game?

I'm sick of it.

Karma rose shakily, a new plan gradually forming in his mind. A small, tranquil smile appeared on his face as he turned towards the monster. I can destroy it right now. Or, if you want to keep it that badly, I can destroy you.

"I'd just like to confirm it, but octopus, you're a teacher, right?"

Maybe she'll even love me for this.

The monster seemed slightly puzzled, but he answered, "Yes."

Ah, I knew you'd answer that. It's fine. We'll see if your answer is the same in a few minutes.

"So would a teacher put his life on the line to protect his students?" Karma questioned, final details falling into place.

Maybe he'll see me for this.

"Of course," the octopus replied. "A teacher's a teacher, after all."

And a teacher is a self-centered liar, after all.

"I see," Karma murmured quietly as he drew his gun and aimed it at the monster.

Where's my resolve, you ask?

"That's good," he continued, voice moderately louder. "In that case, I can definitely-"

Karma pitched backwards, gravity taking over and plummeting him towards the earth far, far below. Mercury eyes glinted with deadly promise, and his smile grew as he finished, "-kill you."

If you come to save me, then I'll shoot and kill you during the rescue. If you let me die without helping, then your existence as a teacher will be destroyed!

The wind whipped at his clothes as Karma dropped down, down, down. His thoughts whirred frantically, pieces of memories and hopes and wishes coming together in a disjointed tangle.

Does this make me strong?

Does this make me worthy?

"You have nothing to prove to him, or your mother."

Karma laughed hysterically in midair.

Do you see me now?

Do you love me yet?

"That's nice, dear."

Will you look at me?

Will you miss me?

"I promise."

Will you even care?

"I'm teaching him to be strong."

I'd rather die than fail.

I win either way, right?

Nobody will care if I'm gone.

Nobody will care at all.

Monster, you will die by my hand! Now, which 'death' will you choose?!

Karma was forcibly jarred back to reality as his back hit something soft and squishy. His descent continued for only a brief second before he bounced up, and then he was perfectly still, suspended just above the treeline. He tried to move, to adjust his position, but he found that he was completely, inexplicably stuck. His arms and legs refused to budge an inch - all he could manage was to stare at the sky above.

"Karma, the deliberation you put into this assassination was magnificent."

No . . .

"If I had rescued you at the speed of sound, your body wouldn't have been able to withstand it."

Dammit.

"On the other hand, if I took my time saving you, I would be shot in the interim."

I failed . . .

"So, sensei tried using a bit of stickiness.”

Dammit, why?!

"Like this, you can't shoot me," the monster tittered next to him.

Karma gritted his teeth as he prepared to snarl a response, but the octopus wasn't finished yet.

"Ah, by the way . . ."

What now? Another humiliation? Another defeat?

The monster carried on gently, "For me, the option to abandon you doesn't exist. Believe in me and jump whenever you like."

Karma stared at him in shock, mouth agape in pure astonishment. Doesn't . . . exist? He saved me, at the risk of his own life, and now he's telling me to do it whenever I want? Why? Ono-sensei wouldn't. No teacher would ever do something like that for me. I'm not even sure okaa-san would do something like that for me. So, why would he? What's he thinking? Does he . . . ?

Does he see me?

Karma chuckled quietly, allowing the squishy tentacles to support his head as he closed his eyes. This is no good. I'm not dead, and I couldn't kill him. Not even his existence as a teacher. [3]

The option doesn't exist, huh?

Thank you, Korosensei, for seeing me.
 

Chapter Text

Strange, Karma mused. Looking at them now, you wouldn't think they were the outcasts of the school, or that they're assassins. They just look . . . normal.

Karma sat in the back of the classroom as he discreetly observed his classmates eat lunch and socialize. Normally, he would disappear into the woods during lunch. He vehemently disliked being around crowds or people his age, so he avoided it whenever possible. Something about mindless chatter of pointless subjects irked him, made his fists itch and his head ache. Not to mention he abhorred discussing himself or (gag) his hobbies. Unfortunately, Karma was confined to the classroom during lunch that day due to the rain which poured outside and sequestered even the most enthusiastic pluviophile[1] indoors. 

So Karma sat in isolation, poking idly at his lunch, contemplating whether escaping the noisy classroom was worth the soaked clothes. He had just about decided that it was, in fact, worth the soaked clothes when a bright voice interrupted his rumination.

"Hey, Akabane!"

Karma glanced up, too surprised he heard his name to ignore the call. A blond girl stood before him, mischief lighting up her eyes and her lips pulled upward in sly amusement, which he suspected was at his expense. He reflexively tensed at her sharp gaze, yet outwardly displayed perfect indifference. He vaguely recognized her from roll call - Nakamura, wasn't it? - but he wasn't overly familiar with her personality or mentality. I need to know how she ticks so I can scare her off. I can't have her thinking I want to be friendly with her or anyone else here.

"What do you want?"

"That's kinda harsh! Don't you know how to talk to girls?"

He didn't, but that was beside the point. The girls in his class had avoided him like the plague. Even with his number two ranking, he had been something of an outcast in his class. They had tried to befriend him in the beginning despite his clear apathy towards them all, but they quickly changed their tune after his sudden change in their first year. His twisted personality, his delinquent actions - his intellect and scores were admired, but his violent nature was shunned. Karma had celebrated his newfound peace back then, finally liberated from their constant attempts at conversation. The avoidance of the girls had been a blessing. He had never been interested in them, or anyone else. The very idea of being forced to interact romantically or sexually with anyone, male or female, was enough to send shudders of horror throughout his body. If Nakamura was hoping to get a flustered reaction from him due to her gender, she was going to be sorely disappointed.

"Sorry," he said blandly. "Do you want something?"

She rolled her eyes, but his attitude didn't seem to phase her much. "Actually, there is. See, we've all been talking and we can't agree on what got you sent to Class E. Some think you skipped too many classes, some think you were too lazy with your grades - the list goes on. Anyway, the debate got pretty heated, so we started a betting pool."

Karma's eyes narrowed. "Who's we?"

"Uh, most of the class, I think."

"Okay, so?"

"So," she emphasized, "now all the bets are in! Are you gonna tell us, or what?"

"Or what," he deadpanned.

"Aw, c'mon! I bet ¥1000[1] on this."

"And how is that my problem?" he questioned.

Her smirk grew, and Karma felt a vague sense of foreboding at her next words. "It'll be your problem when I bug you about it until you give in. In between classes, during P.E., all throughout lunch - I'll nag you every chance I get!"

Just the thought of Nakamura hanging around him all day was enough to irritate him. From the little he had observed during lunch, she was the social type. Mindless chatter, teasing, practical jokes - those appeared to be her forte. If she bothered him for as long as she claimed, he would be the victim of the worst kind of torture. His silence wrecked; his solitude destroyed - the very idea made his eye twitch uncomfortably. She's smarter than she looks, he thought grudgingly. She figured out what would annoy me the most by observing my behavior, then made it into a threat to convince me to comply. I'll have to keep an eye on her.

Karma sighed. "You really won't leave me alone about this?"

"Nope!"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Fine," he grumbled. "But you have to leave me alone after."

"I can do that," she agreed.

"And I want twenty percent of the betting pool."

Blue eyes narrowed at him. "Ten."

"Twenty."

"Fifteen," she countered.

Karma pondered the sum for a minute, then shrugged. "Deal."

It's not like I need money, anyway. Still, it's surprising they're curious about me. I'd hoped just to remain in the background, but that won't be possible if they keep trying to talk to me. Why are they doing that? All my previous classmates left me alone when I made it clear I wanted nothing to do with them. Are these guys oblivious, or do they just not care? Honestly, I can't figure these people out.

"Awesome!" She glanced over her shoulder and called out, "Guys! He's gonna tell us!"

Karma watched multiple heads swivel to face his direction, and he felt a slight twitch of discomfort. She really did mean most of the class, didn't she? Dammit, I hate people getting into my business. Well, maybe this will get them to leave me alone. Nobody wants to be friends with the psycho who sent two upperclassmen to the hospital. If I leave out the part about defending a Class E student, then that should be enough to scare them off.

So he sighed loudly and proclaimed to the room in a tone that conveyed his complete disinterest, "I sent two third-years to the hospital at the end of last semester. Apparently, one of them was the top third year honor student, so I got suspended for the rest of the year and booted to Class E. All the other fights I had already gotten into before probably didn't help." He glanced over at Nakamura, his lips stretched into a smirking taunt as he questioned mockingly, "Satisfied?"

They gaped at him, eyes expressing both their horror and shock at his nonchalant disregard of violence. The stares left him slightly uneasy, but his mask stayed firmly in place. What were they expecting? Really, this shouldn't be that much of a shock based on my behavior so far. I obviously enjoy fighting - why is being suspended for it such a surprise? Well, maybe it's not the violence, but my complete apathy towards the situation.

"You sent . . . the top student . . . a senpai  . . . to the hospital?"

That wasn't Nakamura. Mercury eyes searched for the owner of the voice, and to Karma's surprise, it belonged to the average-looking boy - Sugino. He appeared to be completely astonished at Karma's words, and Karma felt a sense of accomplishment at rattling the typically composed guy.

Karma grinned maliciously at him. "That's what I said."

"What did you do?" he questioned.

"Uh," Karma tilted his head back to gaze at the ceiling as he thought. "I think I gave him a concussion and a broken nose. I definitely knocked a few teeth out, and I might have fractured a few ribs . . . And his jaw," Karma added after a beat. "The other one got off easy. He just got a concussion when I knocked him out."

"Ha!" a new voice piped up. This one belonged to the male seated next to him - Terasaka. He appeared to be the perfect mascot for the stereotypical 3-E student - big, obnoxious, and dumb as a brick. Karma had already labelled Terasaka as not a threat when he first laid eyes on him. There was no conniving intelligence behind those eyes, just a playground bully attitude and a disregard for others. Karma relished the thought of putting him in his place, but he had decided to wait until the other did something to really piss him off. It wouldn't do to attack a classmate solely because he irritated Karma. That just wouldn't be fair to Terasaka.

"We're supposed to believe a weakling like you took on two third years?" Terasaka sneered from his desk. "As if!"

Weakling?

The voice in his head giggled savagely. That guy doesn't even know how close he is to the truth! You are weak, aren't you? Wasn't that what otou-san was always saying - you're weak, you need to be stronger, you need to be better. Even a 3-E reject recognizes how pathetic you are! Well? Are you going to let him get away with it? Is that enough of a reason to show him how much of a monster you are?

Karma fought to keep the mania from his eyes, inwardly seething at the dumb brute's taunts. All he wanted to do was slam the idiot's head into the wall, but he managed to restrain himself. If he showed the jab irritated him, then he would only reveal a weakness. Better to portray perfect calm with a hint of madness to serve as a threat than to lose his cool. I won't show you any of my weak spots. I'll observe yours, slowly, and then I'll strike at them all simultaneously. But not now. No, not now. I have to wait. Wait for the perfect time, the perfect moment.

Heads swiveled at the sound of a familiar chortle to see Korosensei entering the classroom, authentic Indian curry clutched in his tentacles. "What are you all so excited about?"

Before any moron could answer him, Karma interrupted. "Nothing." He smiled at his classmates as he stood up from his desk. While the sweet, innocent expression may have fooled any stranger, his countenance conveyed a clear threat - keep your mouths shut or else. "I'll be back in a sec," he said, making his way down the aisle of desks.

"Please return in time for class, Karma!" Korosensei called after him.

Karma waved a hand in acknowledgement, then ducked around the corner of the door and pressed his back against the wall - waiting, listening. In a moment or two, he heard exactly what he suspected when he withdrew from the room.

"Terasaka, Karma did indeed hospitalize two senpais," Korosensei said, much to Karma's agitation. "But he failed to mention that he did so to defend the 3-E student those boys were bullying."

Mercury eyes narrowed in irritation. Shut up, Korosensei! he wanted to yell. Shut up! I don't want them to know about this. I want them to leave me alone. They won't do that if they think I'm some defender of the weak. All they need to know is I beat people up. They don't need to know the why's. The don't even need to know there is a why! I'd rather they think I'm a psycho and avoid me. So shut up!

He remained hidden outside the door as Korosensei continued.

"Karma wasn't suspended because of excessive violence, but rather who he chose to attack and who he was defending." Karma could hear Korosensei's audible sniffle. "What a tragic story! The heroic underdog banished by the corrupt officials for choosing to defend the powerless - how poetic!"

Karma's right eye twitched.

"In fact, most of Karma's transgressions had good reasons behind them. School records say he mainly fought bullies or other offenders[2]. Most students would have been suspended and transferred solely on account of the violence earlier, but Karma was a special case. His teacher was probably hesitant to send the second ranked student to Class E."

Karma was inwardly screaming. Are there no secrets in this class?! No boundaries, no lines, no privacy?! First, you tell them I had a somewhat decent reason for hospitalizing two upperclassmen. Then you tell them all my other violent acts had good reasons behind them. Now you tell them my ranking?! How am I supposed to act like a psycho when you just made me seem like an upstanding guy? I don't want to be an upstanding guy; I don't want to be treated like a potential friend. I want to be left alone, and if showing off my sadistic side gets them to avoid me, I'm perfectly happy to amp up the mania! I can't do that if you go and justify every offense that made me a delinquent! I don't need friends; I don't want friends. Stop trying to help, Korosensei!

He glared at the floorboards as the students fell silent. Perhaps they were contemplating Korosensei's words, perhaps they were analyzing Karma's behavior, perhaps they were struggling to reconcile the twisted personality he had shown them with the defender of the weak Korosensei claimed he was - Karma wasn't sure. All he knew, all he thought, was They better not treat me any differently. They better still avoid me. They better leave me alone.

When no one spoke again, he abandoned his hiding spot. Lips twisted in a snarl as he made his way out of the Class E building, disregarding the rain and sudden chill on his skin. Karma vaguely realized he had approximately fifteen minutes before class restarted, and he was determined to spend the remainder of that time in solitude. He plunged into the surrounding woods, not sparing a single thought to the mud being splattered on his shoes, or the uncomfortable feeling of his clothes being plastered to his body.

He would rather suffer through a hurricane than be subjected to the stares of his classmates.

Chapter Text

Karma was confused - confused, and slightly irritated.

Ever since the unfortunate day that Korosensei had spilled the beans about Karma's suspension, his classmates kept trying to talk to him. They invited him to sit with them at lunch, to partner up on projects, to study for quizzes, and just about every other excuse to interact with him. Each offer was rejected; every attempt at companionship rebuffed. Friends were unnecessary - Karma had survived this long without them, hadn't he? Even though Karma had suspected this would happen, he still didn't understand why they tried so persistently to get to know him. So far, Karma had only acted coldly with his classmates. The face he showed them was apathetic, sardonic, and wholly withdrawn. Why would anyone want to be friendly with someone like that?

No one, Karma told himself, again and again. I've crafted my mask perfectly; my walls are impenetrable. I just have to wait for the novelty to wear off. Sooner or later, they'll forget what Korosensei said and go back to ignoring me. Just stick it out a little longer. They're not really interested in me - they just find my circumstances intriguing. They'll get bored if I keep rejecting them. People are petty - constantly ignore them and they'll lose interest. It's not like I'm a very likable person, anyway.

But constantly rejecting people is hard, as Karma would soon discover.

Karma was halfway down the mountain when he heard someone shouting his name from behind. He reflexively peered over his shoulder at the sound and saw, to his surprise (and chagrin), three of his classmates quickly gaining on him. Karma recognized them - Shiota, Kayano, and Sugino - but he had no idea what they could be calling him for.

What do they want?

He sighed, turning to face them as they finally caught up to him. "Yeah?" he questioned, securing his bag over his shoulder.

"We go the same way home, right?" Shiota asked. He seemed to be the leader of the small pack, since the other two stood behind him. Kayano and Sugino both seemed wary of Karma, noting his movements with distrustful eyes. He couldn't exactly blame them, though. He'd gone out of his way to project the image of being someone nobody wanted to mess with. Not that anyone really tried to mess with him - Karma tended to stay in the background. He only brought out the menacing persona when people tried to get into his business.

Karma nodded wordlessly in response.

"Let's walk home together!"

"Why?"

"We haven't really talked much since you asked about Korosensei," Shiota said shyly. "I just thought it'd be fun, you know?"

Is this guy for real? We talked for, what, ten minutes? I distinctly remember being very standoffish during that ten minutes! Not exactly the kind of person someone would want to walk home with, that's for sure. What game is he playing? If he's hoping to get my help on an assassination plan, well, he's got another thing coming. 

"I don't think-"

"Oh, c'mon!" Kayano interrupted, stepping up beside Karma and teasingly punching his arm. She seemed to have recovered from her initial distrust faster than Sugino, who still stood behind Nagisa. "You're always brooding in the corner. It won't hurt to smile a little and hang out with your classmates!"

Karma scowled. "I don't brood."

"Oh, of course not," she agreed, rolling her eyes. "You just sit by yourself, stare off into space, and refuse to do anything with the rest of the class. That's not brooding," she said, eye alight with a mixture of sympathy and amusement. "So are you coming or not?"

Not, Karma wanted desperately to say. I don't want to walk with you, talk with you, hang out with you, or do anything with you! I've made my preference for solitude very clear, so why are you still trying?

That's right, the voice hissed inside his mind. You do hate being around people. Scared, aren't you? Scared they'll see how weak you are, how pathetic you are, how worthless you are. They'd run for the hills as soon as they saw the real you, wouldn't they? Your own parents hate you - what makes you think anybody else would be any different? You're hopeless! Nobody would ever want to be your friend, you hear me? Nobody!

Shut up.

Maybe it was his desire to prove the voice wrong, or maybe it was that he felt completely indifferent. Maybe, just maybe, it was the resurfacing of a childlike need to be seen, to be wanted, to be noticed by someone, by anyone. Maybe somewhere deep, deep down he really did want friends, or as close to friends as he could get. Whatever the reason, he stupidly, impulsively, pathetically answered, "Yes, I'm coming."

Kayano and Shiota beamed up at him in response, and Sugino's eyebrows raised in surprise. He felt a traitorous flush rising on his cheeks, despite the impassive expression he usually maintained, and turned to resume his walk down the mountain.

"You coming?" he asked, his voice only slightly higher than normal.

Boisterous agreement met his question. Shiota joined him on one side, Kayano on the other, and Sugino trailed behind.

Maybe this isn't so bad, Karma mused to himself as Kayano and Shiota began to chatter about the homework for the day, Sugino occasionally chiming in. I can deal with this.

Of course, Karma had no idea he would very soon be forced to reconsider.

"Hey, Akabane?"

Karma glanced over at Shiota. He'd remained silent for most of the walk, and he felt a little surprised to be addressed so suddenly. "What?"

"You let Korosensei call you by your first name, right?"

"Yeah."

"Can we call you that, too?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

Shiota grinned at him. "Cool! You can call me Nagisa."

"Okay."

Have I ever been on first-name basis with anyone besides nii-chan? Karma wondered to himself. I don't think so. I mean, I might have called a few kids by their first name in elementary school, but after that . . . Huh. I guess I haven't called anyone besides Gakushuu their first name since then.

"So, Karma," Nagisa tried the name out, "why do you wear the black blazer instead of the school-issued one?"

"Huh?" He glanced down, processing the question and filtering through excuses he could give. "Oh, I just like this one better."

Well, as excuses went, worse ones existed. It's not like he lied. He really did like the black blazer better - he just didn't wear it solely on account of fashion. He'd switched his standard-issue gray blazer for it back in his first year. He'd realized he and Gakushuu looked much too similar when they both wore the gray uniform, so he'd opted to fix that in the only way he could. Not a perfect fix, maybe - if someone put him and Gakushuu side by side they still looked alike - but at least they no longer resembled each other as closely. 

Karma had also been trying to catch his mother's attention. He'd hoped the school would call her about the dress code violation and she would call him about it, but nothing had happened. The teachers scolded him about it half-heartedly, told him they'd called his mother about it, but they let it go pretty quickly. His mother never mentioned it. He'd expected that, of course, but it still frustrated him back then. 

Sugino sighed from behind them. "Well, if anyone can get away with breaking school rules, I guess it would be you. Man, I still can't believe you're ranked second!"

Karma twisted his head around to glare at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He felt slightly surprised Sugino mentioned it. He'd been expecting the class to ask him about it after Korosensei blabbed, but nobody had. Even when they tried to talk to him or invite him to do things, nobody ever brought up his ranking or his suspension. He'd been relieved at first, but his annoyance over his classmates bugging him about other things quickly overshadowed any sense of satisfaction.

"Nothing!" Sugino said hurriedly, waving his hands around in a nervous manner. "I just . . . you don't seem like the academic type, you know? Like, caring about grades and stuff doesn't really suit you."

"I don't care," Karma said stiffly, turning his head back to face forward. "School is easy."

Liar, liar! the voice sang out jeeringly. Don't want them to know how stupid you are, huh? Don't want them to know about the hours you spend pouring over textbooks, trying desperately to raise your scores? Why haven't you beaten Gakushuu if school is so easy? Why aren't you number one yet? What, you want them to think you're a genius or something? The voice shrieked laughter in his head. Tell them! Tell them your big brother is the genius, not you! Never you!

"Unbelievable," Sugino said, exasperated. "What planet is this guy from?"

Kayano and Nagisa burst into quiet laughter.

Karma rolled his eyes, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. He stopped short, though, when Nagisa let out a gasp. He turned to see the problem and saw Nagisa's attention fixed on Karma's hand. Nagisa grabbed at it, twisting it around and examining it.

"What happened to your hand, Karma? It looks horrible!"

Karma couldn't blame him for his reaction. His hand did look horrible - scars, callouses, and fresh bruises from recent fights riddled his knuckles, contrasting starkly with his pale skin. He usually kept his hands hidden underneath his desk or in his sleeves so nobody would see, but he never counted on people seeing outside of school. The hand Nagisa held, his right hand, held the most damage, considering it was his dominant.

"Just some fights. Don't worry about it."

His skin tingled uncomfortably where Nagisa touched. Karma wanted desperately to yank his hand away, to stop the burning sensation that spread throughout his arm and left him tense and anxious. He restrained himself, though. Something about the loss of warm contact made him feel even more uneasy, so he allowed Nagisa to continue his examination. When was the last time someone touched me? When did I last feel someone else's skin on mine? I hit that guy last week and he hit me back. Does that count? Mr. Akabane patted my back a while back. How long ago was that? That must have been at least three weeks ago . . .

"Dude, that's not just some fights," Sugino said, peering over Nagisa's shoulder to catch a glimpse. "It looks like you picked a fight with a wall or something."

You're not wrong. When Karma got especially frustrated with school, his parents, his failed assassination attempts, he usually sought out some delinquent to vent his frustrations upon. When he couldn't do that, however, his bedroom wall suffered the brunt of his anger. That didn't happen very often, though. He could usually find a delinquent; he just took things a little too far and punched a little too hard.

"Okay, a lot of fights. What's the big deal?"

They stared at him.

Sugino sighed. "Maybe just . . . wrap your knuckles before punching people, all right?"

Karma frowned. "Okay?" he said hesitantly.

These people are weird.

After a while, the strained silence between them shifted back to lighthearted chatter. Karma mostly stayed out of it, but occasionally they managed to pique his interest when they discussed assassination, midterms, or potential Korosensei blackmail. He would then respond, hesitantly at first, then gradually with more confidence. He thought he might even be enjoying the companionship, much to his surprise. A nice change from the usual silent walk home, he mused to himself. Or from the violence I usually stir up.

Of course, fate was nothing if not incredibly sadistic, especially when Karma managed some semblance of peace.

The thought had barely finished forming in Karma's head when he heard a loud, gruff voice calling, "Oi, brat!"

Strange, Karma thought. That voice sounds almost familiar.

He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, turning to where the voice sounded from while ignoring the questioning looks from the other three. Mercury eyes landed on two boys, high school students by the looks of them, leering at him from the alley to his left. Karma couldn't place them, but something about their scowls seemed vaguely familiar - like he'd seen them in a dream, or a hallucination. The two high-schoolers seemed to have no trouble identifying him, though.

"It is him, see?" the first said, elbowing his companion harshly in the side. "I told you I'd seen that hair before!"

His companion grumbled. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You're a genius, now shut up."

Karma cocked his head, fists itching for a fight, but mind warning him you're not alone this time. Don't go dragging them into a fistfight. "You need something?"

"Eh? You don't remember us?"

"He was pretty out of it when we got to him."

"Hmph. You went psycho on a pal of ours, ring any bells?"

Karma's grin went razor-sharp. "I go psycho on a lot of people. You'll have to be more specific."

"Yeah? Well, how's this for specific: you beat down our buddy, we grabbed you and beat you down, and you laughed the whole way through. Remember us now?"

Karma could feel the ripple of surprise that went through his classmates behind him, but they remained silent.

The first boy snickered. "You were a real freak, you know? We pounded on you forever, and you just laid there laughing that crazy laugh. I thought you had a few screws loose."

Any resolution of avoiding a fight flew straight out the window. Oh, Karma remembered them now. Inaudible screaming, desperation, punching, that's nice dear, adrenaline pounding in his ears, do you see me do you see me do you see me - the memory of one of the worst days of his life flashed before his eyes, and Karma hated it. These two had just dragged up a memory he'd spent a year and a half repressing, and they were going to regret it dearly.

"You know," Karma said, stepping forward into the alley and letting his bag drop to the ground. "I do remember you now. Who could forget your ugly mug?"

The delinquent snarled. "You damn brat-"

"So, how about a rematch?" Karma fixed his lips into a sly smile. "I'll even let it be two-on-one, so it's fair."

The second teenager cracked his knuckles threateningly. "You're gonna regret this, you crazy bastard."

Maybe, but I'm going to do it anyway.

"Karma, I don't think you should do this," came Nagisa's urgent voice.

He shot a glare over his shoulder. "Stay back, got it? This is my fight." Karma turned back to the two high-schoolers, spreading his arms wide open. "I'm ready when you are, idiots."

One stepped forward, fast, arm shooting out even faster. His fist landed squarely on Karma's cheek, face alight with a savage throb of pain. Karma twisted his head to the side, spitting out a clot of blood, before turning back to his attacker.

His teeth flashed in a scarlet-stained taunting grin. "That it?"

The boy's face contorted with barely contained fury. "Not even close."

Then they both ganged together against him, and Karma focused all his attention on the fight. He didn't really fight back - not at first, anyway. He allowed their hits to land, but only on his face. His nose, his mouth, his temple, his cheek - they all received the brunt of the other's rage. He managed to sidestep and dodge most of the blows aimed for his stomach, but a few connected. Karma sneaked in a few sucker punches here and there - well-placed hits he knew would be sore in the morning - but he mainly concentrated on directing all the damage to his face.

Don't lose control, he told himself. There's an audience this time. You can't lose it in front of these people. Don't let them see the monster, the freak, the psycho you are. Keep taking hits like you normally do, but no freaking out after. You can't take this one as far as you usually do.

The violent dance lasted only a few minutes, but to Karma it seemed endless. Hits rained down on his face from two opponents, his face bruising purple and blood trickling into his mouth and his nose and his eyes.

That should be enough.

Karma grinned suddenly at the two boys, lips stretching wide in a twisted, morbid sort of delight. "Let's finish this, okay?"

The second boy's eyes flashed. "You little-"

Karma surged forward, palm planted firmly on the other's face, sweeping the boy off his feet and forcing him to the ground. The high-schooler let out a groan of pain, but remained still, so Karma figured he was down for the count. He turned to the other boy, cracking his neck from side to side, ignoring the raw ache in his face that clouded his thoughts and dulled his concentration.

"Your turn?"

The teen tried to stutter out a denial, tried to save himself from the doom he knew approached, but Karma harbored no merciful feelings for him. They had started this fight, and Karma would be the one to finish it. This isn't over until I win.

Karma tutted disapprovingly. "You wanted to fight, didn't you? I'm all warmed up now - don't keep me waiting."

"I'm sorry! I swear it won't happen again!"

"Too late."

Karma lunged forward, fury written in his eyes and mania painted on his smile. One hand wrapped itself tightly around the boy's neck, cutting off the supply of oxygen. The other drew back, back, back, and crashed against the boy's temple with enough force to send his eyes lolling back in his sockets. The high-schooler slumped to the ground, still being held up by Karma's grip on his throat. Karma relinquished his grasp, kicking the unconscious dead-weight away from him and onto the dirty concrete.

The violent surge of adrenaline had begun to fade. His fists itched to continue the fight, to find another opponent to work his frustrations out on, but he knew he couldn't. The dull ache in his face had morphed into a savage throb that refused to be ignored. Trickles of blood stung at his eyes, his ears rang, and his left eye had begun to swell shut. The harsh stabs of pain in his head hinted at a concussion, and the shaking of his legs added to the theory.

You really did it this time, the voice mocked. Just can't stand to look anything like him, can you? You're gonna kill yourself someday if you keep fighting like that. Stupid boy, no amount of bruises will hide the truth!

Shut up.

"Karma?"

Oh, right. I have company.

He managed to turn back to the group despite his trembling knees, offering a small smile he suspected looked more grotesque than reassuring. "Sorry about that. You okay?"

Nagisa looked at him in disbelief. "I think we should be asking you that."

"Fine, fine!" he managed through gritted teeth. "Let's go." Karma meant to step forward, but his leg muscles had other ideas. His knees buckled, and he barely managed to catch himself against the alley wall before he collapsed next to his unconscious victims. His head protested the jolt of movement with a sharp, intense jab of pain that made nausea bubble violently inside his gut. Dammit, he hissed at himself. Why do you have to be so weak?

Sugino appeared next to him. "You are so not okay."

"I just need a minute," Karma mumbled. He forced air in and out of his lungs, trying desperately to calm the raging pain inside his head and quell the nausea.

A hand appeared in Karma's line of sight. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

He shot an incredulous look at Sugino, saw the other appeared completely serious, and sighed. "Two."

The hand disappeared. "Good. But you're still not gonna be able to walk home alone."

"I said I'm fine."

"Now is not the time for your macho crap. Just . . .  put your arm around my shoulder and try not to be too difficult, all right?"

"Whatever."

Karma didn't know for sure, but he imagined Sugino rolled his eyes at that.

Sugino, despite his annoyed words, wrapped Karma's arm around his shoulder with unexpected gentleness. He stood slowly, dragging Karma up with him. Karma stomach lurched at the movement, but thankfully nothing embarrassing happened. Please don't puke on him, Karma begged his stomach. Please don't.

"Karma, you take the same train as me, right?" Nagisa questioned.

"Yeah."

"Okay! I can help you with Karma. Did you want to go home?" Nagisa directed the last question to Kayano, who had remained silent throughout the ordeal.

"Oh, no!" Kayano sounded affronted at the suggestion. "I'm coming, too. I want to make sure this idiot doesn't do anything stupid."

If Karma had full control over his faculties, the remark might have offended him. As it was, he just felt extremely annoyed.

"You guys are over exaggerating," grumbled Karma. "I'm just a little dizzy."

"Just a little dizzy, he says," Sugino mimicked, shifting to take on more of Karma's weight as they began to slowly walk out of the alley and towards the station. "You're unbelievable."

"You do look pretty bad, Karma." piped Nagisa

"Yeah, your face is all gross and bleeding!" added Kayano, unnecessarily.

"I don't think I deserve this right now."

"You deserve to have some sense pounded into that thick skull of yours," Sugino said. "What were you thinking? I don't care how tough or manly you are - you don't go picking fights with guys that big! They're twice your size!"

"They are not. Besides, they picked a fight with me."

"Maybe not height-wise, but dude, you're skinny."

"Shut up."

"And don't pull that they picked a fight with me crap, either! You're the one who asked for a rematch or whatever."

"Shut up."

Kayano and Nagisa snickered, Sugino huffed, and Karma fought against the pain in his head and the urge to smile.

Is this how friends work?

Karma's legs had decided to cooperate again by the time they reached Karma's house. The nausea had faded too, leaving only an uneasy feeling in his stomach for the most part. Sugino - reluctantly - let him walk unaided, but Karma noticed he walked closely behind him. I'm not gonna fall, Karma grumbled to himself. You guys are worrying too much.

Some small, distant part of him secretly liked the attention, but Karma squashed it mercilessly beneath his heel.

"Well," he said, when they stood before Karma's house. "Thanks for the help, but-"

"Nope," interrupted Kayano. "I'm-" she glared at Nagisa and Sugino- "We're not leaving until your parents get home."

You'll be waiting quite a while then, the voice said snidely. They only left two days ago. Usually they're gone for at least a week.

Karma ignored it.

He plastered an easygoing grin on his face. "Ah, they're on a business trip."

The three of them exchanged looks, and Karma tried not to feel too annoyed.

"It's just you?" Sugino questioned.

"Yup!" chirped Karma, eyes bright, smile cheerful, and heart twisted into knots.

Kayano sighed. "C'mon, I want to make sure you get to your room okay."

Karma scoffed, but the pointed look she gave him silenced any complaints he might have given.

She doesn't even know she's older than me, but she's still bossing me around. What a pain.

The three of them followed him through his house and upstairs to his room, where he opened to door in a dramatic flourish.

"Ta da!" he said, gesturing widely with his arm, ignoring the spike of pain it sent through his skull. He made his way towards his bed, sitting down gingerly so as not to agitate his head any further. The others followed him inside, standing awkwardly around the room.

Karma would never admit it aloud, but a small part of him felt nervous. I've never had anybody besides okaa-san and my stepfather inside here. What do I say? Do I tell them to leave now? Do I offer food? Drinks? Do I make small talk? How do people do this all the time? It's exhausting!

Apparently, Kayano knew how to handle the situation better than he did.

"Karma, do you have a first aid kit?"

He blinked. "Yeah, in the bathroom. Check behind the mirror."

"Thanks!" She disappeared into the bathroom, and he heard the clutter of objects being shifted around before she reappeared. Kayano tossed a wet washcloth that she must have found by his sink at him, and it landed with a plop! on his lap.

"Wash the blood off your face," she commanded.

Karma blinked again, but complied.

Things carried on like that. She ordered him to do something - wash his face, apply that ointment there, put a bandage here - and he did so. When he'd been doctored to her satisfaction, she stood back and looked very pleased with herself.

"Well," Kayano said, "As long as you don't do anything tremendously stupid, you should be fine. I think you only have a mild concussion, but you should probably stay home from school tomorrow."

He opened his mouth to protest, but she silenced him with a vicious glare. Karma's mouth clicked shut.

"Someone will bring your schoolwork tomorrow, okay? Just take it easy for a while."

"Yeah, whatever," he grumbled out.

She grinned at him, completely unaffected, and moved to leave. Nagisa and Sugino followed, both wishing him luck on his recovery.

"Kayano!" he called, before she could fully exit the room.

She turned, raising an eyebrow questioningly.

Karma fiddled with his hands, but met her eyes resolutely. "Thanks," he said. Glancing at Nagisa and Sugino, he amended his statement. "All of you. I, uh." A dark flush crept into his complexion, dying his cheeks the color of his hair. "I really appreciate it. Sorry for the trouble."

Weak, weak, weak! the voice chanted.

"No problem!"

"It's cool."

"You're welcome!"

Karma smiled, they waved, and then he was alone.

Hours later, when he stared sleeplessly at the ceiling, he pondered the day's events in his head. They didn't have to walk home with me. They didn't have to stay for the fight. They didn't have to help me home. They didn't have to make sure I was okay. So why did they? I can't see how that benefited them. My trust isn't worth that kind of inconvenience, so why did they go through all that trouble just to help me?

Karma hummed softly to himself.

They really are weird.

Chapter Text

C'mon, stupid, Karma told himself, pencil tapping anxiously against his practice worksheet. You can do better than that.

A loud noise interrupted his concentration. Karma leaned back in his desk chair with a sigh, lazily blowing his bangs out of his eyes. His cellphone blared his ringtone from its position on his bed, and he rolled his eyes at the obnoxious sound. He debated letting it go straight to voicemail, but a stupid, naive, hopefully irritating corner of his brain begged him to answer. It could be her, it whispered. What if she wants to talk to you? What if she wants to ask about midterms, or your new class, or even just her trip?

Unlikely, Karma thought, but he stood and moved to answer the phone anyway.

He checked the Caller ID before accepting the call and felt no surprise whatsoever when it read as stepdad. Lips tugged downwards into a bitter frown, he answered the phone.

"Yeah?" he sighed, sitting gingerly on his bed. Over a week had passed since his fight/revenge/injury/humiliation, and while his stomach no longer churned with every movement, his head still ached something fierce whenever he jarred it excessively. The last thing he needed during midterms was a pounding headache, and Karma had been doing everything within his power to avoid one.

"Karma!" came the bright voice of Mr. Akabane, the loud sound startling a flinch from Karma. "How have you been?"

He stared incredulously at his bedroom wall. Angry, he wanted to say. Confused. Hurt. Frustrated. Lonely. Bored. Tired. Sore. Annoyed. Stressed. Anxious.

"Fine," he said.

"That's good! How are your studies coming along?"

"Great," he replied tonelessly. "Highest marks in my class."

"Wonderful! You're not letting your suspension get to you, are you? I know it must be rough in that kind of environment, but keep your grades up and you'll be back to Class A in no time!"

"I'm fine," he repeated. "It really doesn't bother me."

"Well, as long as you're sure."

"How's your trip?" asked Karma, anxious to change the subject.

Mr. Akabane complied. "Amazing! I swear, India gets more beautiful every time we come here. You should join us some time, Karma! We could take a family vacation over the summer or something."

I doubt it.

"That's cool. Are you still planning on coming back this weekend?"

"Ah, about that . . ." His stepfather sounded nervous, and Karma braced himself for whatever came next. "I don't think we'll make it back then. Your mom was talking about going to see Niagara Falls during its peak season. We're thinking that we'll stay there for a few weeks, so we probably won't be home until mid-June or so."

Karma glanced at the calendar hung on his wall. Last week of May now, he mused. They haven't been here since the first week of May, and even then only for a few days. Mid-June means about three weeks - three weeks of oppressive silence, packaged ramen, and fists pounded into walls. How terribly exciting.

"Only if you're okay with that, of course!" Mr. Akabane said hurriedly, as if Karma might be offended by the casual disregard of his feelings. 

Like I'm not used to that.

Karma's mouth tasted sour, and he struggled to speak around the lead weight of his tongue. "Sounds cool," he managed. "Send me a postcard or something."

"Definitely!" Mr. Akabane said, relieved. "How did midterms go?"

"They haven't started yet," came the bland response. "First day is tomorrow."

"Right. Well, good luck!"

"Thanks."

"Oh, your moms needs me. I have to go, Karma."

"Okay."

"I'll send money soon - and that postcard! Don't study too hard. Remember to take breaks and relax."

"Sure."

"Bye, Karma!"

"See you."

Click.

Tossing his cellphone aside angrily, Karma returned to his desk and practice worksheet, brow furrowed in frustration at his stepfather's words. Don't study too hard, he scoffed. What kind of advice is that? Does he want me to fail?

Karma's jaw clenched. I won't fail. I won't. I'm going to beat Gakushuu and prove I'm worthy.

Funny, the voice snickered inside his head. Who are you trying to convince here - you or me? Lost your confidence, hm?

Shut up.

Karma closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose - one, two, three - then let the air out in a puff from his mouth. He picked his pencil back up, turning back to his worksheet, face blank and eye cold. This time, he repeated to himself, this time I'll beat him for sure.

He wished it sounded more convincing.

Karma strolled into the main campus classroom, chin tilted up in feigned arrogance and a lazy smirk plastered on his face. His classmates around him oozed anxiety, and inwardly he scoffed. Idiots, he wanted to say. Don't show an ounce of fear. These guys will gobble you up without hesitation if you act like a pack of scared rabbits. It doesn't matter if it's fake - at least pretend you're confident. It's not like anybody will see through it.

Karma moved towards the back, shooting a vicious glare at Ono-Sensei as he passed. The older man squirmed at the manic gleam Karma knew lit his eyes, and a petty sense of satisfaction rushed through him at the man's visible discomfort.

See? he wanted to crow. These people are nothing. They're not better than us; he's not better than me.

So Karma sat in a vacant desk, grinned mockingly at Ono-Sensei, and waited for exams to begin.

100 in Math, 100 in Science, 99 in Social Studies, 99 in English, and 99 in Japanese - what a joke! How are you going to compete against Gakushuu with this pathetic attempt?

Trembling fingers buried themselves harshly into scarlet locks, nails digging painfully into Karma's scalp. The voice in his head urged him to rip the hair out - don't look like him at all, don't leave any reminders of him, tear them out tear them out tear them out - but he ignored it. He couldn't focus on his loathing towards his appearance right then; he only cared about his loathing towards his stupid, pathetic, humiliating scores.

Two points! he screamed at himself, collapsing to the ground with his back against a tree in the forest. Two freaking points! What happened to all my ties? What happened to all my preparations? Why isn't it ever enough?! Am I just too stupid to remember anything?! Korosensei is the best teacher I've ever had, and I can't even tie with Gakushuu? He taught me so much, but I must be too incompetent to get anything right! What is wrong with me?

Tears stung in his eyes as he gritted his teeth angrily. He pushed further into the tree trunk, reveling in the pain the rough bark caused as it dug into his back and left bruises. She'll never love me like this! He'll never see me like this! What would otou-san say to me right now? Pathetic weakling, useless imbecile, worthless son? Ha! I'm probably not even worth the effort of an insult! Would he just look down on me with those cold, disappointed eyes? Well, disappointment implies expectations, and I know he never had any for me. Maybe I have lived up to his lack of expectations, then. No results, no victories, nothing to show for myself. Was he right? Am I really just a back-up, a just-in-case, an alternate for Gakushuu? How am I supposed to prove him wrong when I can't even prove it to myself?

Pathetic failure, he hissed. That's what I am. I've had so many chances, so much time, so much incentive! I've spent every day studying, every class period cramming facts and techniques into my head. The teachers are without fault; the textbooks are blameless. That only leaves one explanation for my failures: me. I'm the weak link, the common denominator, the defective student. If even Korosensei can't turn me into a winner, then I really am hopeless. He poured so much effort into our class, and I completely failed him. Dammit, I keep failing everyone! Otou-san, Gakushuu, okaa-san, Mr. Akabane, Korosensei - the list goes on and on! Why am I so freaking useless?!

Karma's head fell back against the tree with a low thump! Tired lids hid mercury eyes from the world, but no tears fell. The voice in his head had remained suspiciously quiet during his fit, and it made no taunts now, either.

There was nothing it could say to him that he hadn't already.

Surrounded by his dejected classmates, Karma tried desperately not to scowl at his papers and show how frustrated he felt. Can't freak out again. Not in front of them.

"This is my fault," Korosensei said quietly. "It seems I took this school's system too lightly. I can't bring myself to face you."

Karma's fist clenched, nails digging crescents into his palm as he glared at Korosensei's back. You can't, huh? All that talk about possessing a second weapon, about having confidence in ourselves, about overcoming our inferiority - all that talk, and now you just give up?! You have no right! You raised our hopes; you gave us confidence. You're not allowed to give up on us just because we failed once! You have to see us - to see me. I'll never get any better if you leave. You're being weak, Korosensei. Stop being such a pushover and FIGHT BACK!

He stood, pasting a condescending grin on his face, and launched his anti-sensei knife at the teacher's bulbous head. He dodged it - of course he did - with a startled gasp, whipping around to face Karma directly.

Much better.

"You sure?" Karma drawled mockingly, making his way down the aisle of desks and towards Korosensei. "If you couldn't face us, then you wouldn't be able to see me coming to kill you."

"Karma!" Korosensei scolded, voice loud and frustrated. "Sensei is feeling very depressed right now-"

Karma interrupted his tirade by tossing his results into the air, fully confident the teacher would catch them. Not good enough to beat Gakushuu-nii, not good enough to get her to love me, not good enough to get him to see me - but it should be good enough for them.

"Even if the questions change, it makes no difference to me," Karma declared, a carefully crafted expression of determination overtaking his features as he watched in secret delight Korosensei reading over his papers in shock.

Karma heard his classmates awestruck whispers, but he ignored them. This is nothing, he wanted to insist. This is a failure. Why are you impressed with this? I'm not number one; I'm not the best. This is only a petty victory.

"Judging by my results," he continued, "It's because you taught me to such an unnecessary extent."

And because I studied my ass off, he added mentally. But they don't need to know that.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Karma challenged. "Everyone didn't make it into the top 50 spots, so are you gonna run away with your tail between your legs, like you said you would?" Karma leaned forward, smirk wide and vicious as he purred his words like poison. "When it comes down to it, aren't you just afraid of being killed?"

He leaned away, content with allowing the class to assume the reins. Karma watched in satisfaction as the students poked fun at Korosensei, running with his previous taunt of being scared. No running away, Korosensei.

We still have a lot to learn, so I won't let you be a coward.[1]

Karma chewed his lip anxiously as he shuffled down the mountain, a debate raging internally inside his head. He's an excellent teacher - the best I've ever had, actually. If anyone can help raise my scores, it's him.

Yeah? the voice sneered back. Then why are you still in second place? You were only a point behind Gakushuu in Class A - now you're two points behind! How is that progress?

He's been teaching me for less than a month. If I stay, he can help me do better next time!

Next time? the voice scoffed. It's always next time with you.

He's a super-creature! How can I not improve under him?

What about those classmates of yours?

One sharp canine punctured his lip, drawing a trickle of blood to the surface.

They keep pushing at you. If you're not careful, they'll uncover things you'd rather stay hidden. You need to go back to Class A. They'll leave you to yourself. Things were better then, weren't they? No annoying small talk, no prying classmates with uncomfortable questions - you could just hide in your corner and observe.

But . . .

Oh, don't tell me you like them! When did you go so soft, huh?

I don't! They're just . . . interesting.

You're a lonely, pathetic child! Who cares if you don't have friends? You need to go back to Class A so you can be the best!

I don't think I can be the best there!

And you think you'll be the best surrounded by freaks and losers?

I . . . I don't know.

"Akabane!" called a familiar voice, interrupting his ruminations.

Karma froze for a split second, eyes flicking around to confirm the absence of any potential spectators. When he had, the tension in his shoulders eased and he turned to grin at the newcomer standing at the foot of the mountain.

"Nii-chan," he purred. "What a surprise. Did you miss me?" he asked, eyelashes batting teasingly.

Gakushuu rolled his eyes, scowling fiercely at him. "Shut up and come here. I want to talk to you."

Karma hummed in response, slowing his trek down the path to a snail's pace. "So rude," he murmured.

He imagined steam whistling out Gakushuu's ears and had to bite back a snicker.

Even as he walked, seemingly languid and nonchalant, his mind raced. Why is he here? What does he want? Stupid question - I know exactly why he's here. It's still surprising, though. I didn't think he'd ambush me so quickly. Doesn't he care that people from school might see us? Well, I guess he could just play it off as us being former classmates. Has he seen the scores yet? Karma scoffed inwardly at himself. Of course he's seen the scores. This is Gakushuu - he probably saw them before everybody else. How should I play this? Do I tell him? Do I lie? Will he care?

He reached Gakushuu before he was even close to prepared, but he managed a carefree grin.

"Come on," his brother commanded him - like one of his minions - turning to leave without ever doubting Karma would follow.

Karma scowled fiercely at his back, but hurried after him anyway. "Where are we going?" he asked, tone chipper and bright grin reapplied.

"Somewhere private."

"Oh? Are you planning to kill me?"

"I will if you keep talking like that. It's irritating."

"You're so mean to your little brother, nii-chan. Really, you're hurting my feelings here."

"I think you'll survive," he said drily.

Karma huffed in irritation, but remained silent the rest of the walk. His brother obviously had no plans to discuss the subject until they reached whatever destination he had in mind, so Karma would simply have to wait.

Gakushuu led them to a park near Kunugigaoka - one the two boys had often frequented in their childhood. While seemingly deserted now, it had been the background for many happy memories. Seeing it void of life and dilapidated, Karma vaguely wondered if the park could be a metaphor for his family, but quickly disregarded the notion. Now isn't the time to be poetic.

Snapshots of a past life flashed before Karma's eyes and left him feeling unsteady: Gakushuu pushing him on the swings, their mother watching from the bench; pretend sword-fighting with branches; racing down the slide; digging for treasure in the sandpit. A convoluted mixture of irritation and longing gripped Karma's heart, but he made no mention of recognition or approval. If Gakushuu felt any attachment towards the old park, he refused to show it. Did you come here after? Karma wondered. Do you even remember pushing me on those swings? Going down the slide together? Falling from the monkey bars? Climbing the trees? Do you even care?

Karma set his schoolbag down, sitting carefully on a rickety swing. He kicked at the well-worn dirt beneath absentmindedly, the swing creaking alarmingly. "Well?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow. "We're in private. What did you want to talk about?"

Gakushuu chose to remain standing. Probably so he can loom over me. "You know exactly what."

Called it, Karma thought miserably. What's my prize?

"Sorry," he denied, shrugging. "I really don't."

"I saw your scores on the midterms," his brother said, straight to the point. "When will you be back in Class A?"

Karma bit into his lip anxiously, and that one action betrayed him.

"You can't be serious," Gakushuu blanched. "You're actually thinking about staying?"

Karma scowled, eyes fixed on the ground. "I might be."

"Why?"

"None of your business."

Gakushuu had begun to pace, gesturing frantically with his hands. "This is ridiculous. This is ridiculous. Despite your delinquent reputation, you're still a top student! You have a future, Karma, you can't afford to frolic around with the bottom feeders of Class E. What about high school? What about university? Do you really want Class E Delinquent on your record? Have you even considered the consequences of your actions? You have the potential and talent for greatness, why are you trying to waste it?"

Karma kicked at the dirt harder. "I'm not wasting anything," he mumbled, fists clenching tighter around the swing's chains.

"Of course you are! Every minute you spend around that contamination is a waste!" Gakushuu gripped his hair in frustration, and Karma tried not to flinch at the similarity between them. "I can't understand why you would even consider remaining in that class of idiots and rejects! You're not like them." Gakushuu turned to Karma, eyes pleading. "You belong with the elites - you're an Asano."

Karma stared blankly at his brother, anger steadily rising. "No, I'm not. Haven't you been paying attention? My last name is Akabane now, and I'm sure both otou-san and okaa-san want to keep it that way. And those idiots and rejects, as you so eloquently put it, are ten times better than any of your mindless worshippers."

Gakushuu's expression hardened, and his eyes turned cold. "That's it, then? You couldn't beat me, so now you're retreating to Class E with your tail between your legs? Ready to throw in the towel and concede defeat?"

"Not even," Karma snarled back. "I still plan on stealing your title, I'm just going to do it from Class E." Karma smirked, sharp and bitter. "That would really sting, wouldn't it? Your delinquent little brother, a Class E bottom feeder, knocking you from your pedestal?" He winced exaggeratedly. "Ouch."

Gakushuu glowered. "That'll never happen."

"I guess we'll see, won't we?" He stood from the swing, stretching exaggeratedly with an obnoxious sigh. "Nice chat, nii-chan. Let's do this again sometime, 'kay?" Karma retrieved his schoolbag, swinging it over his shoulder. He gave a jaunty wave over his shoulder towards Gakushuu before stuffing his hands inside his pockets, head angled down as he vacated the park.

I'm going to beat you, Gakushuu. And I'm going to do it from Class E.

I won't break this promise.

The Nosy Trio, as Karma had mentally dubbed them, caught up to him rather quickly. He'd taken approximately thirty-two steps outside the park before he heard Sugino calling his name, which he pointedly ignored. He knew irritation still clouded his brain, so he silently prayed the three of them would leave him alone. He didn't particularly want to bite their heads off when they were only being kind. He'd rather avoid that kind of guilt, thank you.

No such luck.

"Hey, Karma!" Sugino said, swinging an arm around Karma's shoulder. "What's the deal? Someone said they saw you walk off with some main campus student."

Karma fixed him with a deadly glare as he wordlessly removed Sugino's arm from his shoulder. When he had, he stepped further away, increasing the distance between them. "Just a former classmate," he said icily. "He wanted to let me know how much of an idiot he thinks I am."

They must have sensed his foul mood, because they hurriedly changed the subject to outrageous assassination plans. Occasionally, Nagisa tried to draw Karma into the conversation by mentioning embarrassing secrets about Korosensei, but he eventually ceased when Karma responded only with monosyllables.

Finally, Kayano brought up what they must have been itching to ask the entire day. "So, Karma. You scored in the top fifty. Are you going back to the main campus?"

"No," he said.

They dropped it.

Chapter Text

Karma scowled down at the screen of his cell phone, absentmindedly scuffing the toes of his shoes against the concrete as he walked to school. His mother and stepfather's smiling faces beamed up at him, arms wrapped around each other as they stood before Niagara Falls.

Wish you were here! it said.

He scoffed aloud as he read his stepfather's text. Stuffing his phone in his pocket, he bent his head to glare at the sidewalk.

That's a lie.

His classmates buzzed around him, chatting lightheartedly as Karma tapped his fingers against the wooden desk, staring off into space as he contemplated what to do after school. I could get a manga at the convenience store, or I could buy a new game. Mine's almost finished. Maybe the arcade? No, I don't feel like being around loud noises. Should I go to a restaurant? No, I'd just be thinking about her. We used to go out as a family every year for this. . .

Karma tapped particularly hard against his desk. A few people glanced over at the sound, but they ultimately ignored him.

Should I call her? She hasn't called for a while, but it is her birthday today. Is she expecting me to? Does she want me to? She usually tries to hang up as soon as possible, so maybe she'd prefer if I didn't call. Then she wouldn't have to be reminded about her crazy, failure of a son.

Karma sat, unaware of the dark, brooding look slowly appearing on his face. He usually kept his emotions well in check during class, but his thoughts so enamored him that his control had slipped. Students gave him a wide berth, unwilling to break his reverie and possibly incur his wrath.

I think I'll just get into a fight after class. It's probably been long enough since my head injury. Even if it's not, who cares? Maybe the adrenaline and pain will keep her completely out of my mind. Anything is better than remembering the past. I just won't take as many hits to the face. I can be careful, right? If I'm fighting, I won't have to be alone in that big house, remembering past birthdays and wishing for things to be like that again.

"Sonic Ninja?" came a voice, interrupting Karma's ruminations. "Oooh, it's that superhero flick! Tell us what you thought about it tomorrow."

Karma looked up, the brooding expression falling from his face, replaced by keen interest. Sonic Ninja? That could be fun. A movie might be okay, especially if I can study Korosensei, too. This way I can avoid my house, and I won't get another headache. Yeah, this might work. I'll just ask him to take me with him after school.

Didn't Nagisa mention he likes Sonic Ninja?

Karma glanced over at Nagisa and inwardly grinned at the expression on the other's face. Nagisa was also staring at Korosensei, and he also looked incredibly attentive.

Maybe he'll come, too. That could be fun.

Karma resumed his tapping, but with a much lighter conscience than before, even with the dark thoughts tugging at the back of his mind. [1]

 Karma approached Korosensei side by side with Nagisa, his face a mask of nonchalance, but inwardly thrumming with anticipation and desire. Please take us with you. Please, Korosensei. I can't stomach sitting in that empty house, not today.

"Korosensei, please," Nagisa said earnestly, unknowing echoing Karma's thoughts. "Take us with you, too. We want to see that movie."

"Oh?" Korosensei asked. "You like that sort of thing?"

"I love it!" Nagisa beamed. "I've been waiting forever for the sequel to come out!"

Korosensei turned his inquiring gaze to Karma. "You liking superhero movies is rather unexpected, Karma."

Trust me, I know, Karma thought wryly. Surprisingly enough, watching superhero movies was the one thing he could remember doing with his father that was purely for entertainment purposes. Asano Sr. was a busy man, but occasionally he'd pop in an old classic. Gakushuu and Karma would nestle into his sides and watch, enraptured, as a hero inevitably defeated the villain and saved the day. Karma's mother wasn't nearly as interested in them as the boys, but Karma could remember her watching them sometimes, too. Of course, watching movies as a family was a rare occurrence, and Karma could only recall a handful of times it didn't end in his parents shouting at each other. Still, he could sometimes remember how it felt to be wrapped securely in his father's arm, warm and happy, and how the arm would tighten around him when a scene in the movie scared him. It was, perhaps, the only time in his life Karma knew for sure that his father loved him.

That was a long time ago, though.

After their father had introduced them to superheroes, Karma and Gakushuu would tear through comic after comic together. They loved acting out the fighting scenes, though Karma usually found himself stuck with the villain role. Gakushuu said it suited his melodramatic tendencies. Karma said Gakushuu's mask wouldn't fit his big head. The slew of insults that would follow generally devolved into fighting for real, which was quickly broken up by their mother. The two would glare and avoid each other for approximately an hour until one of them (usually Gakushuu; Karma could hold a grudge longer.) pulled the other into a different game. Unfortunately for their mother, the cycle repeated itself frequently.

Karma discovered the Sonic Ninja comics after he and Gakushuu were separated. He usually disliked cliche plots, but some of the lines amused him, plus the comics helped him improve his English. It wasn't as fun reading them by himself, but Karma made do. They reminded him of happier times, so Karma had remained a loyal fan for years. Not that I'd ever tell anyone that, Karma thought to himself. I have a reputation to uphold.

Karma scratched at his head sheepishly, feeding Korosensei one of his many excuses. "I like the director. It's unusual for him to work on a film based on American comics."

A voice piped up from Nagisa's trouser pocket, "I would like to go as well, Nagisa."

Karma watched as a quick flash of bewilderment flew across Nagisa's face, but it soon disappeared once he retrieved his phone from his pocket and saw who was smiling at him on the screen. "Ritsu . . ." he trailed off, confusion replaced by exasperation. "Why are you in my phone?"

"This is to facilitate sharing information with everyone," Ritsu explained, grinning brightly. "I have downloaded my terminal into everyone's phones. Please call me 'Mobile Ritsu'."

Karma hadn't quite formulated an opinion on Ritsu yet. One one hand, she was a genius AI with access to all sorts of information. On the other, she acted like every other giggly, naive schoolgirl, which annoyed Karma greatly. Thus, Karma had summed her up as useful, yet annoying. Despite the fact that she was a program, rather than an actual girl, she still managed to remind Karma of all the girls from the main campus. Karma barely tolerated Kayano and Nakamura, and they weren't half as bubbly as Ritsu. Still, she had her uses, so Karma generally tried to act amiable, even if the giggling got on his nerves.

"I would like to experience Korosensei's mach-speed takeoff once more," Ritsu added. "The camera image might become assassination reference material."

"Very well," Korosensei said. Karma felt a trickle of uncertainty invade his previous excitement as a devious look crept across Korosensei's still smiling face. "I will let you all experience the movie, as well as my speed."

The trickle became a full blown torrent when, a few moments later, Karma found himself tucked securely inside Korosensei's gigantic robe. What have I gotten myself into now? Karma asked himself, torn between thrill and hysterics. I definitely did not think this through. This might actually be a worse idea than jumping off a cliff.

"Karma," Nagisa said, his voice betraying his own anxiety, "I didn't put much thought into it when I asked, but aren't we kinda doing something unbelievable?"

Karma fought to keep his voice steady and mask unaffected. "Guess so," he replied. "We didn't think as far as our own safety." Not like I ever do, he inwardly mused.

"Don't worry," Korosensei reassured them. "I'll accelerate slowly to prevent it from taxing your bodies."

Karma only had a moment to ponder what Korosensei defined as slowly before he received his answer. The three - well, four if you count Ritsu - launched from the ground at a speed Karma could only describe as really freaking fast. The sudden burst of speed momentarily disoriented him, and he struggled to keep his senses about him, even when the situation - the incredibly freaking awesome situation that Karma could barely believe was actually happening - threatened to overwhelm him. Eventually, he managed to orient himself and fully appreciate his surroundings.

Karma watched as stretches of land and trees passed beneath them as they soared through the sky. The wind whipped across his face, blowing his hair into disarray, thought it felt far gentler than he'd expected. He thought his heart might beat out of his chest, which would be unfortunate considering the incredible view he was subject to. Beside him, Nagisa was in a similar state, struggling to decide between overwhelming fear and overwhelming awe.

"S-SO FAST!" Nagisa screamed.

Karma laughed maniacally, choosing to focus on his awe rather than terror. "Awesome. I can already see the Pacific Ocean!"

He could hear Nagisa's ragged breathing, which struck Karma as odd, considering the speed they were traveling at. Did Korosensei do something? he wondered. He glanced up towards the octopus, but Nagisa answered his unvoiced question before he could discern it himself.

"Huh?" Nagisa questioned. "I don't really feel or hear the wind, Korosensei. Your head is repelling almost all of it."

Ah, so that's what's happening. I guess that big noggin is good for something.

Korosensei beamed down at them. "That's a good eye you have, Nagisa. The secret lies in sensei's skin," he said, pointing to his head to illustrate. "My head is usually soft, but it solidifies under high pressure. As such, I won't even succumb to mach-speed wind pressure." Korosensei began pulling different materials from the depths of his robe. "Flying at supersonic speeds involves advanced laws of physics that you don't know yet. But there is something much more familiar to you that works off a principle similar to sensei's skin. Let's have a little lesson on that 'Dilatancy Phenomenon'. First," Korosensei said, mixing materials as he spoke, "We'll mix potato starch with water . . ."

"He's started teaching us in mid-flight!" Nagisa exclaimed incredulously.

Well, Karma thought to himself, baffled but amused, I'm up for anything that raises my exam scores. Let's see how he manages teaching at supersonic speed.

"Aren't you going to assassinate him, Karma?" Ritsu asked. "Right now, when you are in such close contact, would appear to be your chance to do so."

Karma's shoulders tensed as shock jolted through him. Despite his thoughts earlier, assassination hadn't crossed his mind once since he approached Korosensei. Between the anticipation for the movie and his inner battle to conceal his terror, he'd completely forgotten that Korosensei was a target, not a friend or advisor. I have to kill him, Karma reminded himself harshly. Don't get soft now. It doesn't matter how nice or friendly or helpful he is. He needs to die, and I'm going to kill him. I can't forget my goal.

"Don't talk nonsense, Ritsu. Even if I were able to kill him now, we'd still drop into the Pacific Ocean at mach speed," he said, choosing to go with infallible logic, rather than admit his shortcoming. "We are completely at his mercy. All we can do is sit back and listen to his lesson."

For some reason, it didn't even bother him.

I have a feeling that the more we know about sensei, the more the meaning of his existence will fade from our minds. [2]

Karma hummed quietly to himself, pondering the words on his walk home. He and Nagisa had separated only a few moments ago, and Karma found himself lost in his own thoughts without the other boy's lighthearted chatter to distract him. The accuracy of the words to himself personally made him uncomfortable, like Nagisa had peered into his mind and noticed his earlier slip-up. After all, hadn't Karma thought the  exact same? Every day Korosensei greeted the class with a smile; every time he pushed Karma academically; every time he went above and beyond the call of an average teacher, Karma felt his walls lower and defenses weaken.

This isn't about hating him anymore. It's not about proving him to be a liar, or showing everyone he's a fake, because he's not. He really is a teacher. And not a selfish teacher, like Ono-Sensei, but a teacher who cares about his students and truly wants us to succeed. In fact, he's probably shown more interest in me this year than my own parents. How crazy is that? A super creature who claims he's going to destroy the world if we don't kill him knows more about me than my own mother.

Karma's amusement was short-lived. In the end, though, that doesn't matter. He still has to die, and I'm going to be the one to kill him. It's my last shot to prove myself to okaa-san and otou-san. I doubt I'd ever accomplish anything greater than saving the world from complete annihilation. Even okaa-san can't ignore that.

Thoughts of his mother reminded Karma of that day's significance. His shoulders tensed without his noticing, and his feet stuttered to a halt on their journey home. The hand in his pocket clenched around his cellphone, thumb tracing over the screen as he debated with himself.

Does she even want me to? It's not like she's been desperate to hear the sound of my voice lately. Although, she did talk to me on my birthday.

Karma snorted. For about two minutes.

He didn't realize he'd retrieved his phone until he found himself staring at its screen, finger hovering over his mother's contact. Sharp canines dug painfully into his bottom lip, threatening to draw blood. His knuckles had turned white from clutching the phone so tightly, though he didn't notice that either.

Do you really want to be disappointed again? the voice asked him. It didn't even sound malicious, just weary and somewhat curious.

Karma stuffed the phone back into his pocket, continuing his walk home.

No, I don't.

Chapter Text

Another transfer student, hm? This could prove interesting, especially if he's as far superior to Ritsu as she claims. Judging by both her and this Shiro guy, he must really be something special. Sharp canines bit harshly into his tongue to deter the psychotic grin that threatened to appear on his face. Finally, some real competition! I can hardly wait to get started. Oh, I hope he's on the intelligent side; it'd be no fun to compete with some muscle-bound, overpowered brute.

Karma tilted his head in contemplation. Then again, if he's some genetically altered super genius, we'd have to compete academically as well. That could be troublesome, especially if he has an unfair advantage. Though, considering Ritsu is an all-knowing super computer, they might've chosen to focus on phy-

CRASH!

Karma nearly leapt out of his skin at the sound of someone - Is that the boy? Is it him? - bursting through the solid wood wall behind him, leaving a human-sized hole in his wake. Seemingly disregarding the unnecessary display of power, the boy sat nonchalantly in the chair Shiro had dubbed his, hands folded over the desk and a wild, mad gleam in his eyes.

"I . . . am victorious," he said, voice low and flat. "I have proven myself to be stronger than this classroom's walls. That alone is enough. That alone is enough," he muttered to himself.

Karma fought to keep his eyebrows from climbing high in disbelief. O-kaaay, they definitely chose to focus on the physical aspects with this one. Jeez, does this guy even have a brain? Though, Karma thought, eyeing the new hole in the wall warily, with strength like that, I suppose he doesn't need one. All he has to do is follow Shiro's orders - no need for him to plan or strategize. He sighed. How boring.

Despite him being a disappointment, Karma resolved to study the new boy. It wouldn't do to be caught unawares if the boy was more than he appeared; Karma would much rather analyze his classmate to determine his weaknesses and strengths so there would be no surprises down the road. While he hated many things (failing, annoying people, the smell of dead octopus), his hatred for surprises ranked in the top ten. Karma always had to be prepared for anything, no matter what it might be; that included his mysterious new classmate who tried to prove his strength by assassinating a wall of all things.

Itona, wasn't it? Itona Horibe. He doesn't look like much at first glance, based solely on appearances. Short, skinny - how did this shrimp knock a hole in solid wood? His eyes are disconcerting, though. If I had to choose between manic, crazed, bloodshot, or empty as the most fitting adjective, I'd have to say all of the above. This kid has serious mental issues; are they seriously planning to enroll someone this unstable in our class?

Karma paused in his examination, eyes narrowing as he zeroed in on one vital aspect of Itona's appearance that had escaped his initial study. Wait a minute, how did he . . .

He smoothed his features into something relaxed and nonchalant before calling out, "Hey, Itona. It's kinda been bugging me, but you weren't carrying anything when you came in just now, right?"

Itona just stared, so Karma took that as a no. "So why aren't you even the slightest bit wet when it's pouring outside?"

The class fell silent. Karma watched with the appearance of detached interest as Itona rose slowly from his seat, while inwardly his adrenaline hummed to life. "You," the boy said, making his way towards Karma's desk at the same pace, and Karma vaguely wondered if he was about to have a hole punched through himself, too, "are probably the strongest one in this class. But don't worry," Itona said, in what Karma guess was some form of twisted reassurance as the boy reached his desk. The class watched in horrified fascination, like one would watch a train wreck, as he bent down to Karma's level, looked him dead in the eyes, and rubbed his head.

Karma could only stare, stunned into stupefied silence, as Itona continued. "I won't kill you," he said, then moved away from Karma and down the aisle towards Korosensei. "I only want to kill those who might be stronger than me."

He watched the scene between Itona and Korosensei play before him mutely and ignored his class' shock at the sudden bombshell, still going over Itona's words in his head repetitively, obsessively.

Those stronger than you? Then I'm weaker than you? So if I'm weaker than you, does that make me weak, period? Or, since you say I'm the strongest in this class, does that make me strong? Am I strong only when pitted against weaker opponents, or am I weak only when pitted against stronger ones? Does one's strength depend on those around one, or is it something wholly independent, uninfluenced by anyone except oneself?

Karma remained silent until the end of classes.

How is this possible? How can I compete with strength like this, strength on par with Korosensei's? How can I even hope to reach such heights?

Karma watched the match between tentacles stoically, giving no hint of distress or despair. Inwardly, though, he raged.

Is this what you wanted, father?! This kind of impossible strength that no ordinary, or extraordinary, person could withstand? Is this what it would take to satisfy you? Or would even this not be enough? Would the sacrifice of my mind and sanity, even for such incredible power, still disappoint you? Would I still fall short?

His hands clenched in a white-knuckled fist inside his pockets, fingernails digging crescents into his palms.

Would I still be weak?

 Karma stared in disbelief at the girl standing before him, completely dumbfounded as she blushed and stuttered her way through what he assumed to be a confession. She was cute; Karma could admit that much. Short, curly brown hair, sparkling gray eyes, with a button nose and a smattering of freckles - Karma might be indifferent, but he wasn't blind. She even had a cute voice. But why on earth would a cute girl like her confess to him?

Is she new? Karma wondered. Does she not know to avoid Class E scum yet? Has she not heard all the rumors about me? Is this a prank or a dare or something? Jeez, I thought I'd scared all the girls off by now. How am I supposed to intimidate a sweet girl like her without feeling like a complete prick? Now that I think about it, how does she even know me? I can't recall ever speaking to this girl. Karma glanced around his surroundings, looking for anyone with a camera or phone out. Surprisingly enough, the two of them were completely alone. Considering they stood at the foot of Class E's mountain, that struck Karma as rather unusual, seeing as it was directly after remedial training ended and he should be able to see his classmates trekking down the mountain, but he brushed it off. Maybe they're doing an assassination or something. 

The girl - Did she introduce herself? I can't remember - was watching him intensely, earnestness practically oozing out of her, but her face fell when she realized Karma's total lack of recognition. She seemed to deflate all at once. "You don't remember, do you?"

Crap. I'm starting to feel bad. "Um," Karma said, very eloquently.

The girl looked crestfallen. "It was last year. A guy had been harassing me all year - grabbing me, making gross comments. It got so bad I was considering transferring, but then one day you stepped in. You said, 'Leave her alone, you swine, nobody wants your disgusting hands on them.' and then he said, "Back off, loser! You wanna lose your front teeth?' and then you smiled, like, a really creepy smile, and went BAM!" She mimed throwing a punch and Karma couldn't help the spark of amusement at the exaggerated gesture. "And knocked his front teeth out!" She sighed dreamily. "It was so cool."

Karma smiled, impressed by the girl's newfound confidence, and a little bashful at her fervent admiration. Her story had done more than amuse him, though. "And when I asked if you were okay, you just stared at me before saying, 'I'm perfect.'"

She beamed at him. "Yes, you remember! So, um, do you. . . " she trailed off, shuffling nervously. Her complexion returned to its previous rosy hue, and Karma inwardly bashed his head against a wall repeatedly.

How am I supposed to be mean to her?! Dammit, this is going to be hard. Okay, okay, I can do this. I can totally do this. Just say she's too ugly to be my type, or I would never even go near her in a million years. Something cruel!

"Sorry, Maki." That's her name, right? "You're too . . ." Karma faltered at the dismay filling her eyes, turning the previously sparkling color to a dark, stormy gray. He could see the tears threatening to spill over. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I mean, you're cute and all, but I'm not really interested in - well, people. Not like that, anyway."

Karma mentally slumped in defeat. I couldn't do it. I've made tons of girls cry before, but I just couldn't do that to her. I'm not that heartless! Dammit, this is the first girl I've ever been honest with, and it was only because of her sad gray eyes. Dammit!

"Oh," she said, her disappointment palpable. She struggled to smile, but she managed it. "Well, I guess that can't be helped, huh?"

"Sorry," he repeated, feeling awkward for the first time in a while.

Maki waved him off. "It's okay. I figured it was a long shot, anyway. They say you've rejected every girl who's ever asked you out."

Karma scowled fiercely. They? Who's they? Are those stupid girls gossiping about me again?

"A-anyway," she stuttered, eyes darting around nervously. Karma managed to return his features to their previous warmth and that seemed to soothe her a little. "Um, it was nice talking to you again, Akabane. See you around?"

He nodded. "Sure."

She smiled at him one last time before turning and walking away, back towards the main campus. Karma watched her leave, thoughts whirring, before a thought struck him.

"Maki!" he called after her.

She spun back around. "Yeah?" Thankfully, she didn't look like she expected him to have changed his mind.

This time, it was Karma shuffling nervously. "Um, well, I just wanted to know - don't you care that I'm in Class E now?"

She cocked her head, eyes gazing at him curiously. "Why would I?"

Karma gaped. "What?"

She grinned impishly. "I mean, I already know you're smart and nice and cool. What does being in Class E have to do with anything?"

His lips quirked into a small, genuine smile. Maybe there is some hope for the main campus students. Who knew? "Nothing, I guess."

Maki winked at him before resuming her walk, and Karma could only huff a laugh behind her.

Really, who knew?

Okajima cornered him the next day at lunch.

"Hey, Karma, who was that cute girl you were talking to yesterday? It looked like she was confessing!" He stood in front of Class E's door, blocking the exit and Karma's escape.

Karma glanced around him, about to make a make a break for it, before Nakamura and Sugino slipped in beside Okajima, effectively trapping him inside. "Eh?" Nakamura grinned, a teasing lilt to her voice. "A girl confessed to you? Who? Do we know her? Is she pretty? What did you say?"

He scowled, eyeing the door longingly. "None of your business."

"C'mon, man!" Okajima whined. "There hasn't been any good gossip in this class for ages."

"Yeah," Sugino agreed. "And it never involves you, so that makes this doubly interesting!"

Karma's frown only deepened. He spun sharply on his heel, returning to his desk with his chin up and eyes avoiding all contact. Unfortunately, the three of them followed, surrounding his desk expectantly. Do they ever quit? Karma thought, amused despite himself. Why is my love life so interesting?

He sighed exasperatedly. "Yes; a girl from the main campus; no; yes; no."

Once they'd parsed his answers, they all gaped at him. "A cute girl from the main campus asked you out and you said no?" Sugino clarified, eyes wide.

Karma nodded.

"Your good looks are wasted on a moron like you!" Okajima wailed.

Karma shot him a nasty glare and he quieted, but Nakamura was studying him with a contemplative look in her eye. "Why'd you say no? Too boring? Too bubbly?"

They're not going to let this go, are they? Dammit, I've never told anybody the truth, and now I'll have said it twice in as many days. I miss the days when I could just glare at these people and they'd scatter, Karma thought mournfully. I liked it when they were afraid of me. It was so much simpler, then. Quieter, too.

"No, she was very nice and cute and funny," Karma answered. "I just don't date."

Okajima was staring at him in total disbelief, like he just couldn't process Karma's indifference. "Like, ever?"

"Ever," he confirmed, struggling not to roll his eyes.

"Okay, but why?" Nakamura pressed, keenly interested.

Fine, whatever. It's not that big a deal, anyway. Who cares whether I like girls or boys or nobody at all? They'll all forget in a day or two. Really, who cares?

Still, despite his bravado, Karma avoided their eyes when he answered. "I just don't like girls like that."

"Oh?" Nakamura questioned, eyebrows raised. "Do you like boys, then?"

"No."

"So let me get this straight," Okajima said, still baffled. "You don't like girls or boys. At all. Romantically, that is."

"Correct."

"You've never been interested in anybody."

"Nope."

"Never even had a teeny-tiny crush."

"Never."

He blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice. Finally, he threw his hands into the air in complete exasperation, loudly exclaiming, "How?!"

Karma shifted uncomfortably in his seat, self-consciousness beginning to overwhelm him. "I don't know. I'm just not interested in things like that. I guess I don't really see the point . . ." he trailed off as he realized his explanation really wasn't helping at all.

Luckily, Nakamura stepped in. "Well, there's nothing wrong with that. You just have other goals in mind." She smirked at him, patting his head teasingly. He swatted her hand away, scowl prominent, but inwardly he felt relieved.

"Yeah." Sugino grinned. "That just means less competition for us, right, Okajima?" He elbowed the other boy sharply, eliciting a pained yelp.

"Right!" Okajima agreed, rubbing his side ruefully before brightening substantially. "Less competition!"

Karma rolled his eyes, but a small smile was threatening to appear and he could finally relax, however minutely. Judging by the other three's grins, he wasn't hiding it as well as he could've, but Karma found, to his genuine surprise, that he didn't care.

Jeez, these people are so weird. I can't understand them at all.

Karma found he didn't mind that, either.

Karma hadn't realized other people had been eavesdropping on their conversation, but Kayano brought it up later that day when he walked home with her and Nagisa. Maybe if he had, he would've chosen to sprint home, no matter how sore and fatigued remedial training left him. Karasuma-sensei is a monster, Karma mentally complained. It's like all the muscle I have from fighting doesn't exist at all and I'm just a puny twig like Nagisa. If he keeps this up, I'm going to have to buy actual food. Cup ramen really isn't doing it for me. Damn, this is going to be such a pain, he thought dejectedly. I haven't even touched a stove in forever.

Kayano darted out in front of the boys, pivoting abruptly on her heel to face them, and continued walking backwards. "Hey, Karma, would you mind explaining something to me?" she questioned. The mischievous glint in her eye immediately put him on guard.

"Okay," he hesitantly agreed, eyeing her suspiciously.

"You said you don't like girls romantically, but Nagisa said, when the boys asked who you liked during the field trip, you said you like Okuda. So," she grinned broadly, "care to explain?"

Karma flashed an annoyed look at Nagisa, who just smiled apologetically. "I do like Okuda," he answered dutifully. "She's cute and smart and knows how to make multiple types of poison. She also doesn't bother me with stupid questions." He glared pointedly at Kayano.

If anything, that only made her smile brighter. "But do you like her?"

He sighed, conceding defeat. "If you mean would I date her, then the answer is no. Like I said, I don't like girls like that."

"Or boys," Nagisa chimed in.

Was everyone listening? Karma wondered exasperatedly. Don't they have anything better to do than listening to private conversations? Like - oh, I don't know - assassination?!

"Or boys," Karma agreed, nodding his head.

Kayano feigned a dejected sigh. "That's too bad. I was looking forward to teasing you mercilessly when you finally got together with someone."

What am I supposed to say to that?!

"Sorry?" he tried, unsure of what exactly he was apologizing for.

"No, no, it's fine." The grin returned full force. "I'll just have to focus all my attention on Nagisa instead."

The other boy's eyes widened in what Karma could only label as pure terror. He tried to stutter out a denial, but it was too late. Kayano returned to her spot at Nagisa's side and began to tease him - quite mercilessly - about every single girl who had ever even looked at him. Karma felt a twinge of sympathy for him, but only briefly. Rather than defend him, or offer a change in subject, he joined Kayano's side.

"Yeah, Nagisa, I saw you talking to Nakamura the other day. Isn't she pretty? Do you like her?" Karma teased.

Nagisa blushed crimson, blue eyes screaming you traitor!

Karma cackled, swinging an arm around Nagisa's shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. I think she likes you too!"

This is nice, Karma thought, watching Nagisa splutter, an unfamiliar, warm feeling in his chest. Mercury eyes darted over, watching Kayano snicker. Having friends is nice. He smiled, warm and genuine.

I want this to last forever.

Chapter Text

See, Karma was full of quirks - some odd, and some relatively normal. For example, his penchant for collecting exotic spices was relatively normal. His tendency to allow himself to be bashed to a pulp, though, was definitely odd in most people's view. Karma knew he was rather eccentric; considering his upbringing, how could he not be? He didn't mind being labelled strange or abnormal. To him, normal was boring. The popular notion of fitting in had always baffled him. Why would he waste time trying to mold himself into what society considered acceptable when he could be doing whatever he found entertaining? He had his own likes and dislikes, and screw whatever society thought.

That was why, when the class requested his participation in the baseball game, he had to protest, even if it was only a token one.

"Eh?" he muttered, chin propped in his hand. "Do I have to?"

Korosensei stood before him in a flash, tentacles flailing. "Of course you have to, Karma, your kinetic vision and reflexes are among the highest in the class! These skills are crucial in sports!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, sensei."

Almost the entirety of Class E was gathered in the classroom, focused on deciding a roster for next week's exhibition matches. Terasaka and his buddies had already bailed, choosing to forgo the almost certain public humiliation, which Karma couldn't really blame them for. Who wanted to be put on display for the entire school to laugh at? Besides, he couldn't imagine Terasaka being a team player - and where Terasaka led, Yoshida and Muramatsu followed.

The rest of the class seemed unexpectedly enthusiastic, even knowing who their opponents would be. Karma guessed they were looking forward to using their newfound assassination skills to knock the student body down a peg, as Kataoka put it, though he wondered how assassination would translate over to baseball of all things. Sure, the stamina and reflexes would give them a boost, but what about hitting, fielding, and catching? Those weren't covered in the standard assassin training, nor were they things you could be fluent in after only a week of practice. Going against the baseball club, who practically lived and breathed all things baseball, would be tough, regardless of Class E's enhanced physical state.

Now, Karma enjoyed going against tough opponents. To be more precise, he enjoyed annihilating tough opponents, especially the delusional, arrogant types who thought themselves untouchable and invincible. Even though the baseball club fit that description inordinately well, he couldn't muster more than a paltry amount of interest in the match. Sports were never really his thing, and therein laid one of Karma's more acceptable quirks: his absolute indifference to any type of sport.

Karma didn't hate sports. He just found them rather boring and - well, pointless. Why should he care which team ran around a diamond more times? Why should he spend his time bouncing a ball when he could be doing something worthwhile, such as studying or fighting? Academic competition he understood; it pushed you to study harder and learn more, which usually led to a brighter future. As for fighting, well, fighting kept him sane. It kept him from tearing his own hair out in frustration, from burning his house or this cursed school down to the ground and dancing in the ashes. Thus, studying: good. Fighting: good. Sports? Not so much.

That wasn’t to say sports couldn't be beneficial for other people. Karma knew that plenty of people made millions from playing professionally, and it gave others a chance to attend college at no cost. Karma held no contempt for those people; kudos to them for pursuing their passion! Nonetheless, Karma had about as much interest in sports as he did in astrology: minimal.

Korosensei seemed keen on him playing, though.

"Without Terasaka's group, we have only eleven boys left," Korosensei informed him, as if he wasn't capable of basic subtraction. "We need more players than that!"

Karma waved a hand dismissively. "You only need nine players, Korosensei. You'd still have an extra with ten."

His blasé response sent Korosensei into a tizzy. "Karma, we must stand together as a class if we wish to beat such formidable opponents! You can't be lazy at such a crucial time as this! Don't you want to show the main campus your strength?"

"I already did that," Karma replied, bored. "Don't you remember midterms?"

Korosensei spluttered. "Of course I do! Your results were quite impressive, but now you can prove your strength on a different stage."

He yawned. "No thanks."

"I didn't want to do this, but . . ." Suddenly, Korosensei was staring directly into his eyes, encroaching on his personal space as he pleaded frantically, "Please, Karma, your favorite and most beloved sensei is begging you!"

Now he was really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Karma stared back, unamused. "Oh? I don't see Karasuma-sensei anywhere."

Karma fought the urge to grin as Korosensei burst into dramatic, tear-filled wails. You made that one too easy, sensei.

"Karma," Sugino said, interrupting the intense (and noisy) display of emotion. "I want you to fight with me." His voice was steely, blue eyes holding his own resolutely. One glance told Karma he wouldn't take no for an answer.

He sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah, okay."

Sugino nodded, and that was that.

Karma stood hunched over, hands planted on his knees, as he panted for breath. His calf muscles screamed for mercy, wobbling legs barely keeping him upright. Everything hurt. His entire body felt like it'd gone through the wringer. All his strength and stamina - things he'd been training in for months - had been squeezed out, leaving his body more exhausted than he could ever remember being. He would definitely feel this in the morning.

He's a monster, Karma thought, struggling to breathe through the burn in his lungs. He's actually a monster. Is he trying to kill us? Is this payback for the dead octopus? Or the stolen gelato? Or for stealing his - disappointingly small - amount of pocket money?

Karma realized, quite ruefully, that the intense training could be payback for a number of things, most of which were his doing.

For the past few days, Korosensei had put the boys through what Karma referred to as Korosensei's Killer Baseball Boot Camp. They received a crash course on all things baseball, like batting, fielding, catching, and throwing, as well as improving their basics, like running and hand-eye coordination. It had sounded easy at first. Karma thought it'd be a cinch.

He'd never been more wrong.

Korosensei's preternatural abilities made even the simplest tasks unreasonably difficult. He challenged them at every turn. Between pitching at 300 kilometers per hour and using his duplicates to create an impenetrable defense, the class - Karma included - didn't stand a chance. It was a miracle if they even managed a hit, much less reached first base. Korosensei made Karasuma's training look like a gentle workout.

I'm going to kill him, Karma decided. As soon as I can move my arms.

The source of their agony stood smiling down on them, completely unaffected. He looked like he'd just taken a brisk stroll through the forest, rather than torturing and taunting his students at every turn for days. Those beady eyes (or were they nostrils? Karma could never tell) gave no hint of what he might be thinking. If anything, he seemed amused.

Definitely killing him.

After Korosensei explained his teaching methods, Karma was marginally appeased. He understood his teacher's reasoning, at least. It was like learning Latin before Spanish or driving a manual before an automatic. Everything else came easier afterward. So while he understood, and even appreciated, Korosensei's logic, his sore limbs still inspired a need for petty revenge.

I'm thinking wasabi, gelato, and anti-sensei BBs, he mused. That should make me feel better.

Finally giving up on his trembling legs, Karma took a page from his classmates' book and collapsed in an undignified sprawl on the ground, groaning wearily. As he stared up at the sky, squinting from the sunlight, he wondered if this was all worth it. He'd always thought sports were a waste of time, so why was he wearing himself out for a measly exhibition match?

"Sugino, I hope you appreciate this," he said. "And you better not complain the next time I ask you to do something."

Sugino snorted. "You ask me to do illegal things, Karma. I think that's a little different."

"Whatever."

Sugino didn't speak until several minutes later. "Karma?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks."

Karma felt that now familiar warmth spread throughout his gut, and he thought, oh yeah, that's why.

Friends help friends.

He didn't complain again.

Karma hummed quietly to himself as he played his Nintendo. Every now and then, his eyes would dart up to check his team's progress in the baseball match, but they mostly stayed focused on his game. He hadn't spent much time gaming lately, too intent on studying and learning assassination techniques, so it was nice to relax and do something mindless for once. It's not like he was needed at the moment, anyway.

Sitting on the bench is so boring, Karma thought. Why would anyone want to do this?

"Seriously, Karma?" Karma looked up to see Sugino watching him for a few feet away. He was clearly trying for annoyed, but he just managed to come off amused. "Are you going to play that for the whole game?"

Karma blinked. "I can do that?"

"No!"

"Kidding," Karma said, grinning broadly. "Really, Sugino, I'm hurt you think so little of me."

Sugino just rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said, grabbing a bat and slipping on his helmet and batting gloves. "Try to show some team spirit, would you?" He exited the dugout.

"Sure thing, Captain," Karma teased. In a loud voice, he called out after him, "Goooo, Sugino! Aim for that elitist snob's face!"

Sugino shot him a death glare over his shoulder, and Karma couldn't help the snicker that escaped. Reigning in his amusement, he watched as, to the crowd and opposing team's shock, Sugino switched from his bunting stance and hit a base-clearing triple. The main campus students could only watch in stupefied silence as Sugino rounded the bases.

The crowd might've been silent, but the Class E boys roared.

"Yeah, Sugino!"

"Way to go!"

"You showed them!"

Even Karma joined in the celebration, hooting and cheering and applauding with the rest of them. Sugino beamed at them from third base, triumph clear in his eyes. He'd faced Shindou, the one who'd replaced him in the baseball club and totally eclipsed him in academics, and won. The game wasn't over, but now they knew victory was possible. They could actually defeat the so-called 'chosen ones' in a game that was rigged for them to fail.

The crowd was in a state of shock, murmurs of disbelief and confusion fluttering through the air. None of them had expected Class E to score a single point, much less three of them, and especially not in the first inning. They'd expected three up and three down, not all the batters to get on base. And why shouldn't they? It wasn't like Class E had ever scored before.

"It's so much fun tearing down the powerful," Karma said, eyes gleaming with delight. "As soon as something doesn't go their way, they panic and break down. This will definitely be a blow to their pride." He laughed. "If they're especially weak-minded, they might even quit! Those are always the most fun."

Isogai flashed him an exasperated look, though it didn’t have the effect he probably intended since he was still smiling. "Is there anyone you don't enjoy tormenting?"

Karma thought of his brother, of adoration twisted into bitter resentment, of a once playful sibling rivalry that had devolved into cruel words and crueler competition, of a bond that had been steadily poisoned until only a sour, acerbic taste remained, and he somehow managed to smile. "Just one."

Isogai looked surprised, but he didn't say anything. Karma returned to his game, the picture of boredom, while inwardly he pondered whether Gakushuu was watching Class E outwit the elite 'chosen ones', and what he thought about it.

Ne, onii-chan, do you still think we're scum?

He swore he only glanced up for a split-second, just long enough to determine why everyone had fallen into a tense, strangled silence, and he was about to lower his eyes once more when a familiar suit caught his attention. He sat frozen, gaze fixed on the man walking onto the field like he owned it, his stomach twisted into agonizing knots. He couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't breathe through the panic welling up in his chest because he knew this man, knew him painfully and intimately well, despite the towering wall that had always stood between them. His Nintendo fell to his lap, forgotten, and the mutterings of his team went unnoticed. That distance, less than a hundred feet, was the closest he'd been to that man in five long, bitter years. His heart felt like it would burst out of his chest, and he couldn't help but think, morbidly, perhaps that would be fitting considering that man had always been so adept at effortlessly tearing and crushing his heart without regard to the mess he left behind or to the boy he tossed aside, and he couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe.

"Karma? Are you okay? You're looking a little pale."

He must have nodded, or somehow managed to speak around the lump in his throat, or maybe whoever asked just chose to leave him be, because nobody tried to speak to him again. All this passed through his mind without a second thought, with barely a first one, because all of Karma's attention was focused on the man talking to the opposing team. His vision had tunneled; he couldn't tear his eyes away. His mind refused to stop, thoughts racing at speeds capable of challenging Korosensei. Perhaps, though, thoughts wasn't quite accurate. No, it was more like one thought dominated all the rest, simply repeating itself over and over and over until Karma truly believed he would go insane.

That's my father.

Karma stared, dumbfounded, as his father assumed command of the opposing team (of the strong, the worthy, the chosen, of which Karma had never been apart of) and casually wreaked havoc on Class E's strategy. He watched as his classmates went up to bat and, unable to counterattack, were declared out. He could feel the rising tension in the dugout, the dismay of his teammates as they watched their best (and perhaps only) strategy fall to underhanded tactics that only succeeded because they were Class E, and the rage and indignation such a defeat incurred. Dread had begun to creep in, wrapping its icy fingers around his heart in a vice-like grip and squeezing, and a sour taste, not unlike bile, filled his mouth. He thought he might choke on the lump in his throat. He didn't even need to watch the next batter because he knew, he knew, he knew, without a fraction of a doubt, what the outcome would be.

You're going to win again, Karma thought, burgeoning hysteria threatening to overwhelm him. You're going to win again, and I can't stop you.

Unwilling to be a passive spectator to another of his father's triumphs over the powerless (like you? the voice whispered, venom dripping from every word. Like you like you like you like youlikeyoulikeyouLIKEYOU?), he fled. He slipped out of the dugout, unobserved by his teammates, and ran. 

He didn't give much thought to where he was running to, only concerned with who he was running from. He just had to get away, away, away. He realized, in the far corners of his mind, that he must be running through the forest because branches were tearing at his clothes and his face, fabric ripping and blood dripping. He couldn't feel it, though. Not the branches smacking his face or the blood trickling down his cheeks or the pounding of his feet against the ground - he didn't feel any of it. The physical pain might've hurt, but the memories playing through his mind were agony.

Karma was seven years old, and he hated the game his father made him and Gakushuu play. He would sit in his leather armchair, which looked more like a throne to the young boys than anything else, and the two boys would stand before him. He would ask them questions about math, science, kanji, and whatever else he must've thought the boys needed to know. He always started with Gakushuu. He would ask him a question, Gakushuu would answer it correctly, and then he would turn to Karma and do the same. This would go on and on, sometimes for over an hour. As the questions became more and more difficult, the boys would begin to sweat, wracking their brains for any forgotten piece of knowledge and stumbling over their words when they answered.

Eventually, though, one of them had to break, and it was always Karma.

He father asked Gakushuu a question, some obscure science fact that neither of the boys should know yet, and then it was Karma's turn. His heart pounded, his hands were clutched behind his back, fingernails digging into his skin. He tried to put on a brave face like Gakushuu always did, but the knowing glint in his father's eyes told him it was for naught. His father always knew when he was faking.

His father asked him a question, what it was Karma didn't even remember, but seven year old Karma felt his heart freeze in his chest because he didn't know the answer. His mouth fell open, just a little, but nothing came out. He searched his brain frantically, desperate not to lose, but it was futile. He didn't know, and his father knew it. He probably knew before he even asked.

"I don't know, otou-san." The words felt like lead in his mouth.

Gakuhou remained impassive. He turned to Gakushuu and asked him the same question, and his brother answered correctly. Karma couldn't help it: in that one, brief moment, he hated his brother. Hated him for always being perfect, for always answering correctly, for having just a fraction of otou-san's approval - a fraction was more than Karma had, anyway. Of course, the hatred was fleeting and quickly followed by shame and self-loathing. How could he think such things of Gakushuu, his best friend and fiercest defender? His brother loved him, he knew that.

His father didn't, he knew that.

Gakuhou stared down at Karma, eyes cold and disapproving, just like always. He felt like a bug under a microscope when otou-san did that, like he was nothing but a pesky fly for his father to swat down. His father looked at him like he was nothing.

He wished he would hit him instead. That would hurt less.

Karma gasped for breath as he sprinted through the woods, lungs burning and sweat stinging in his eyes. The pain was still hazy, not fully realized yet. He dreaded the moment it would all crash down, but he knew it was inevitable. Still, he'd rather feel anything, even pain, than what he felt as long-suppressed memories flooded to the surface, leaving him shaky and vulnerable.

His mother - still Mrs. Asano, though not for long - ushered him into the car. Her hands, always so gentle, were shaking as they guided him into the back seat. He crawled inside, she shut the door, and when she moved away from the car he saw his father standing in the front doorway, watching.

He didn't look any different, even though his wife and youngest son were leaving him. He seemed just as calm and composed as usual, and Karma felt tears pool in his eyes. Didn't he care? Didn't it hurt to know his wife and child were leaving and would never come back? It hurt Karma. No matter how distant or detached Gakuhou was, he still loved him. How could he not?

His mother opened the driver's door and slipped in. She placed her hands on the wheel, and Karma could see them trembling. She leaned back against the seat as sobs wracked her body, hands leaving the wheel to cover her face. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but he couldn't find the words. What do you tell someone whose world has fallen apart, whose marriage has crumbled to dust, whose family has shattered like glass?

Karma didn't know, so he said nothing.

She managed to calm herself, eventually, and turned in her seat to offer him a wobbly, tear-stained smile. "We'll be okay, Karma, I promise. We're still a family, you still have me."

He wondered if it was selfish of him to want more.

His mother started the car and pulled out of the driveway, and Karma realized, panicking, that he might never see his house again. He twisted around in his seat, ignoring his mother urging him to fasten his seat belt. She drove slowly, so he could still see his father. He'd moved from the doorway to the mailbox and was watching them with some unidentifiable expression.

Do something, he begged wordlessly. Don't just stand there and watch! I'm not asking you to collapse in grief or to scream at the sky, but I need something. A tear, a frown, a look of regret or sorrow - anything! Please, don't let us go with that same blank expression. Please, give me something that proves you still love us, that you still love me.

Soon, they were too far away for Karma to see him any longer. He turned back in his seat, fastened his seat belt, and managed to smile at his mother. She saw it in the mirror and smiled back - shaky, but there. He turned his attention to the window, leaning against it and watching big houses and neat yards fly by, all while feeling his heart break.

Did we really mean so little to you?

He didn't know how long he'd been running. Sensation had crept in once more, leaving him sore and bruised and painfully aware of his shredded skin, but he kept going. He ignored his lungs crying for air and forced his wobbling legs to move, to run, to take him far, far away. He didn't want to be anywhere near that man, not when flashbacks of his father were fighting for his attention, each seeking to torment him with his most traumatic memories. He'd spent so long ignoring them, forgetting them, repressing them that now, when he was caught off guard, they threatened to bury him. Old wounds that had never healed had been ripped open, suddenly and without finesse, and were now bleeding and aching and clamoring for his attention. He had to keep running until they scabbed over again.

Gakuhou crouched down to Karma's level, those soulless eyes gazing directly into his. His mother - no longer Mrs. Asano, but not Mrs. Akabane yet - stood directly behind him, gripping his shoulders hard enough to bruise. Court had just ended, and so had their family. Officially, anyway. Everyone knew their family had reached its end a long time ago.

"This will be good for you," Otou-san said, expression as empty as his eyes. "You're not like Gakushuu and me. You've got more of your mother in you." He sighed, and, for just a second, Karma thought he saw some unknown emotion leaking into his eyes, but it disappeared before he could identify it. "You just aren't meant for this." Gakuhou stood, staring down at him one last time. "Be good for your mother." His father turned and walked away without a second glance.

Karma looked at Gakushuu, eyes wide and terrified. The reality of the situation sunk in, and he realized he might not see his brother again for a very, very long time. He tore himself from his mother's grasp and launched himself into his brother's arms, sobbing, pleading for him not to go. Gakushuu hugged him back, trembling from his own tears. They clutched each other for a long time, each unwilling to let go and lose the other.

"Don't go," Karma cried. "Please don't go. I love you, don't go."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I love you too. I'm sorry."

Eventually, the two parents separated them, leading the heartbroken brothers away. Karma wanted, more than anything, to rip his hand from his mother's and run back to Gakushuu, but he knew he couldn't. His mother had her own grief to deal with, and he knew it devastated her to leave her eldest behind. Still, he couldn't help but glance back, desperate for one more look at his brother.

Gakushuu had looked back at the same moment and, when their eyes met, he shouted, "I promise, Karma! I promise!"

They held each other's gaze as long as they could, each unwilling to look away, until they disappeared from each other's sight.

They wouldn't meet again for three years.

Karma ran until his chest ached and his lungs burned and he dripped sweat in the hot, humid air. His limbs had a limit, though, and he finally stopped, hunched over and panting for breath. His muscles cried for relief, and his eyes stung with blood and sweat and tears, but he couldn't concentrate on the pain, not with his thoughts taunting him like they were.

The voice shrieked laughter in his head. Coward! You were the closest you'd been to him in years, and you ran away? I thought you were brave; I thought you were strong. You just proved how weak you are, coward! He tore your family apart, and you can't even face him! You're weak! You're a failure! You're nothing!

Karma snapped.

"Shut up!" he screamed. He located a branch on the ground, about the width of his forearm, and he snatched it up, gripping it in both hands. He turned to face one of the trees, madness in his eyes and fury in his veins. He raised the branch, lip curling in a vicious snarl, and swung hard. The impact jarred his hands and sent tremors up his arms, but he didn't stop. He hit the tree again and again and again, ignoring the splinters digging into his palms and the ache in his shoulders.

Oh, are you throwing a tantrum now, after all these years? The voice sounded amused. Have you finally broken? And all it took was seeing him, being near him, and being defeated by him.

"Shut up!" he roared back, hands clenching in a white-knuckled grip on the branch. "You don't know anything!"

I don't know anything? I don't know anything?! I've been with you through everything, you ungrateful brat! Your parents' divorce, the bullies at school, your mother remarrying, you being abandoned, all your defeats, all your failures: I've been here for everything! You would've gone insane without me, understand? You need me.

"I don't need anyone!"

Really? it asked, scornful. Then why are you at this school? Why are you so desperate to beat Gakushuu? Why are you so disappointed when your calls go to voicemail? Why did you fight so hard for your father's love? You don't need anyone, huh? Liar.

The branch broke, snapping in half and sending fragments everywhere. He tossed the branch aside, hands sticky with blood, but he paid them no mind. His eyes darted around wildly, searching for another. He found one, grabbed it, and resumed his frenzied attack.

"You don't get to criticize me!"

WHAM.

"I don't care what you say!"

WHAM.

"I don't need him!"

WHAM.

"I don't need her!"

WHAM.

"I hate him!"

WHAM.

"And I don't need you, either!"

WHAM.

"You're just a stupid voice!"

WHAM.

You're nothing, you hear me? Nothing, nothing, nothing! You'll always be a coward, a weakling pretending to be strong so someone will love you. They never will, you know! You will drown in your misery and despair, and they'll all be better off for it. So go take a swim, brat, and show the world just how worthless, how weak you truly are.

"I-" WHAM "-told-" WHAM "-you-" WHAM "-to-" WHAM "-shut-" WHAM "-UP!"

CRACK!

Still clutching the shattered, bloody stick in his hand, Karma lifted his face to the sky and howled a wordless cry, voice filled with rage and anguish. He screamed until his throat was raw, until the ear-splitting sound tapered off into a near-silent rasp, until he'd completely flushed the voice out of his head and was left with sweet, blessed silence.

He collapsed against a tree, branch falling from his fingertips as he slid down the trunk, gasping for breath. The voice might be gone, but it seemed Karma was just as adept at torturing himself. Panic held his lungs in a vice, constricting the air flow and sending his head spinning. He couldn't breathe, even though his lungs heaved desperately for oxygen, and the terrifying revelation just heightened his panic. Darkness crept in around the edges of his vision, and he faintly realized he would pass out if this continued much longer.

He scratched furiously at his face, nails scraping against still-bleeding scabs. The sluggish flow of blood soon quickened to a steady stream, leaving Karma with a vicious sense of satisfaction. I'm not like you, he thought. I don't want your face. I don't want your face. I don't want your face. Don'twantyourfacedon'twantyourfacedon'twantyourstupidface-!

Yellow tentacles gently pulled his hands away from his face.

"Breathe, Karma," Korosensei's said, voice calm and soothing. "In an out. There's nobody else here; it's just you and me. Nothing's happening. Just try to breathe."

"C-can't," he managed between gasps.

"Yes, you can. Do it with me: in for four seconds, out for four. There, that's it. Keep going. In for four, out for four. Now again."

He didn't know how long they sat there, Korosensei encouraging him as he fought for each spluttering breath. Eventually, the darkness receded from his vision and Karma could breathe again, even if it sent spikes of pain through his chest. He was vividly aware of every ache, every bruise, and every scratch that littered his body, as well as his sweat-soaked clothes that stuck to his skin and the blood trickling down his face.

He was also aware of Korosensei studying him, a mix of concern and curiosity etched into his still-smiling face. "Karma," he began, voice hesitant. "Are you feeling better now?"

He gazed dully at the ground. "Yeah."

"Do you think you can tell me what happened? You just disappeared. Nobody knew where you were, or where you went, or even when you left."

"I-I couldn't face him. Not again. I couldn't. I couldn't." He sounded near hysterical. His breathing had begun to pick up again; his heart thumped frantically in his chest.

"It's all right, Karma, he's not here. Just breathe." Korosensei was still holding his hands, he realized. When was the last time someone held his hand? He couldn't remember. "That's better. Now, who could you not face?"

"The chairman."

He looked puzzled. "Why not?"

"Because he's . . . he's my father," Karma whispered.

Korosensei remained silent, so he rambled on, anxiety leaking into his words. "I didn't really know him, he was always so distant. A-and when my parents divorced, I went to live with my mother and my brother stayed with him. He's a year older than me, but I skipped a grade so I could be in his year." And so he continued, babbling about not seeing his brother or father for years, about his mother being strictly opposed to him attending Kunugigaoka, about meeting Gakushuu again after so long, about struggling so desperately against his father's expectations and his mother's apathy and his brother's genius intelligence, about the panic he felt at being so close to his father after so many years of hatred and distance. Korosensei listened to it all, not interrupting or leaving, and Karma was so relieved, so grateful someone was willing to sit by him and just listen for once. He had Korosensei's undivided attention, and he couldn't remember the last time someone deigned to bestow that upon him.

When his words reached their end and his voice trailed off, Korosensei finally spoke. "Have you told anyone else?"

He shook his head.

"I think you should."

Panic surged through his veins, elevating his heartbeat to a rapid thumpthumpthump. "No!" he burst out. "No, I can't. My father is the one who started the Class E system; he's the one who enforces the discrimination against us. They'd hate me, Korosensei. Please, please don't say anything."

If I tell them, they'll leave me. I'll be alone again, despised and rejected and isolated. I've only just learned what it's like to have friends, don't take them away so soon. I can't be alone again. Please, I couldn't bear it. I can't watch from the outside while everyone else finds happiness and moves on, leaving me behind in my misery and bitterness. I'd rather die.

"If that's what you want, I won't tell anyone," Korosensei said, slowly, like he knew he would regret it but was going to do it anyway. "But I don't think they'd take it as badly as you think. They're your friends, Karma, regardless of who your father is."

Karma nodded, mumbling a quiet thanks. They sit there in silence for a while, both pondering the events and revelations of the day, both curious about what the other was thinking, neither daring to ask. Some time later, Korosensei heaved a loud, dramatic sigh before standing, offering Karma an outstretched tentacle. He grinned, faint but there, remembering the last time he'd gripped that tentacle in his hand. Korosensei's twinkling eyes told him the octopus remembered too, so Karma just huffed a weak laugh and accepted the boost to his feet.

His legs wobbled, but they didn't buckle, so Karma took that as a victory, albeit a small one. He dusted the wooden shards off his clothes, scowling at the numerous tears and the scratches that peeked through. He'd have to ask Karasuma for another gym uniform, and he dreaded the dark glare the request would bring him.

"So, Karma," Korosensei said, a mischievous look overtaking his face. "Would you like to walk the three miles back to school, or would you like a ride?"

He quirked a small, relieved smile. "I think I'd like a ride."

During the incredibly brief trip, Karma tried to apologize for ditching the game, but Korosensei waved him off.

"No, no, it's fine! We put Chiba in. Of course, your talent for provocation would've been highly useful, but it all worked out. We beat the baseball club, three to two."

Karma was so stunned he didn't even notice they'd landed. His father had lost? That was impossible! He father never lost. It simply didn't happen. In Karma's mind, Gakuhou was incapable of losing. He didn't think the words Asano Gakuhou and lost even belonged in the same sentence. Not unless there was a never between them.

Korosensei must've noticed his bewilderment. "Your father isn't as invincible as you think. He's faced defeat before, too."

Karma remained silent, still disbelieving.

Karma sat quietly in his seat the next day, listening as the guys celebrate their win and congratulate each other. He felt his shoulders tense and his smile freeze when they mentioned the chairman. His heart sunk lower and lower in his chest with every word about his father's vicious, underhanded strategies and his intimidating aura. That wasn't even him at his most terrifying, he mused to himself. Really, they got off easy.

"Hey, Karma, where did you go yesterday? You totally disappeared!" Sugino grinned at him, but he could see the disappointment in his eyes. He'd promised to fight with him, to win with him, but instead he'd run away like a coward. His shame intensified.

He faked a smile. "Sorry, I got sick and had to leave. Looks like you pulled it off without me, though. Congratulations!"

Sugino clapped him on the back cheerfully. "Thanks! But I wish you would've told someone you were leaving; we were all really worried when you just vanished."

"Sorry."

"Nah, it's fine. Just something for you to remember next time, okay?" Sugino tilted his head, eyes narrowing as he studied his face. The sudden change in expression unnerved Karma, as well as his scrutiny, and he fought the urge to fidget. "What happened to your face? It's pretty scratched up. Did you get mauled by a cat or something?"

"It's nothing," Karma said. "Don't worry about it."

Sugino frowned, concern evident in his eyes, but something in Karma's face must've told him to drop it, because he did. Rather than pester him with more questions, he went off to chatter with Nagisa, much to Karma's relief. He didn't need someone asking questions they wouldn't like the answer to. Better to remain silent.

Karma looked around the classroom, studying each student and wondering what they would think of him if they knew. Okaa-san can't even look at me because of him. What would they do? Would they loathe me as much as they do him, or would they hate me even more because I didn't tell them? Does it matter that I don't live with him, that I haven't spoken to him for years, that he doesn't even like me, much less love me, or is the fact of my blood enough? It's funny, we both rely on underhanded strategies and we both want total domination over our enemies. Like father, like son, I guess.

Karma smiled sadly at his friends before slipping out of the classroom and disappearing into the woods, unnoticed by his classmates. As he trudged through the familiar trees, the voice's taunts echoed through his head: weak, weak, weak, weak.

Chapter Text

Karma grumbled to himself as he marched through the woods surrounding Class E's building, hands tucked into his pockets and eyes searching for the perfect tree to nap in. He didn't normally skip class (unless it was exceedingly dull), but he figured he could make an exception this once. Besides, it wasn't like he'd be missing much. It was only P.E.

He's so fake, Karma thought, kicking a pebble out of his way. His smile, his laugh, his words - they're all fabricated! There's no way any soldier could actually be that cheerful. What, does he think we're just a bunch of dumb kids unable to see through a fake smile and a bribe? He scoffed. Not me. His smile may be friendly - his eyes aren't. I don't like the gleam in them. They remind me of my own when someone falls for my traps.

He stopped before a particular tree, eying it appraisingly. It seemed solid with its thick, sturdy branches and gnarled surface perfect for climbing. Most of the trees he'd passed had slimmer, weaker branches and were thus unable to support his weight. He was already deep into the forest; if he wanted to nap, he had to locate a tree soon.

He nodded, decision made. Grabbing hold of the lowest branch, he hoisted himself into the tree. He didn't want to be near the ground, preferring the view height brought, and so climbed higher. He allowed his hands and feet to move on instinct, trusting them to carry him from branch to branch, steadily ascending meter by meter. Even as his limbs focused on climbing, Takaoka-sensei remained the subject of his thoughts.

Even if I can see through his mask, the others can't. He's winning them over with sugary treats and honeyed words, and they don't suspect a thing. His fatherly act is sickening. Every time I hear him say tou-chan, I want to vomit. Honestly, I thought they'd know better than to fall for such cheap tactics. It's like watching a lamb being led to the slaughter: you're horrified, but you can't do a damn thing. I guess I could try to warn them, but I don't think they'd believe me - not when he's already got his hooks in so deep. Well, his jolly act can't last forever. He'll show his true colors soon enough, and they'll think twice before trusting the next guy's blinding smile and cloying words.

Karma finally reached a branch that satisfied him. Settling into a comfortable position, he leaned back against the trunk and closed his eyes, hands tucked behind his head. He'd spent more time searching than he'd intended to, so he wouldn't have as long of a nap, but he didn't mind. He'd found the ideal tree, and now he wouldn't have to waste time looking for a hiding spot next time. He already knew he'd be spending quite a bit of time in the woods in the near future, now that Takaoka had replaced Karasuma. He had no desire to be anywhere near that man, so it was a good thing he'd found this spot. He deemed his venture an overall success.

Hm, never thought I'd miss Karasuma-sensei and his ridiculous training regimen. Still, at least he was honest with us, and he didn't treat us like little kids. He also didn't try to bribe us. I hope he gets rid of Takaoka soon. He didn't seem to like him very much, either.

He hummed quietly to himself.

I'll just have to wait and see how it goes. It's not like Takaoka can do much damage with Karasuma-sensei and Korosensei around.

Karma eyed Kanzaki's bruised cheek with distaste. I underestimated him, he thought, chagrined. I didn't think he'd stoop to petty physical abuse. Sure, the bribery and happy dad act had to end, but this? Who would've thought that dear old dad would turn out to be a highly trained, sadistic dictator with a playground-bully mentality? Seriously, who decided to put that guy in charge of training junior high kids? What did they think was going to happen? He'd rough them up and they'd turn into soldiers overnight? Morons.

He scowled, furrowed eyebrows casting his face in a harsh light. Still, he got away with far more than I expected. I thought Korosensei would've stepped in sooner. I wonder what lesson he was trying to teach. Did they really have to go through all that for a lesson though? Damn, I wish I'd been there! My hands are itching for a chance to wrap around that guy's throat.

A hand clapped against his shoulder, jarring him from his reverie. "Don't look so scary, Karma!" Maehara grinned. "It almost looks like you care about us."

He tensed under the weight of the other's hand before forcing himself to relax. He pasted a look of concern on his face, pinching Maehara's cheeks between his fingers and turning his head left and right as he examined it. "Do you feel all right? Did Takaoka hit your head, too? He must have, since you're hallucinating. You know, wasabi works wonders for clearing the mind. I have some in my bag if you need it."

"Ow, ow, ow, you jerk, quit it," he said, swatting Karma's hands away. He massaged the sting from his red cheeks, glaring. "I get it. You're a scary delinquent who doesn't care about us at all. I won't threaten your street cred again. Please leave my face alone."

Karma just smiled, unrepentant.

"It's a good thing the board chairman showed up when he did. Takaoka looked ready to snap."

Karma froze. The buzz of his classmates' voices faded from his ears, and the world around him fell away. He wasn't standing by the classroom's window anymore. He was sitting on a bench, looking at his father from across a baseball field, and knowing with absolute certainty that he couldn't win. My father, he thought, numb. My father was here. My father was here, and he saved my friends when I didn't even know they were in trouble. He protected them, and I left them to figure out Takaoka's schemes for themselves. I knew Takaoka was up to something. I knew! And I just left them in that lunatic's hands without even a warning, left them in a trap I saw coming, left them to be abu-

A flash of pain brought him back.

My lip hurts, he thought dully. Why does my lip hurt?

A trickle of blood was gathering on his bottom lip. He must have bitten it.

Sugino gave an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Seriously, who'd ever think the board chairman would save the day?"

"I can hardly believe it, and I was there."

"Never thought I'd be grateful for that guy showing up!"

Me neither.

As the spray of whatever pesticide Terasaka had thrown cleared from the classroom, Karma bit back a grin. You're so childish, Terasaka, he thought. Complain and complain and yet you never do anything about it. How many assassination attempts have you led? Nagisa deserves the credit for that first assassination far more than you do. You haven't risked a single thing, so shut up and stop whining about us cozying up to the target. Haven't you ever heard of know thy enemy? Karma clenched and unclenched his fists in his pockets, subtly flexing them in preparation for what he was about to provoke. In fact, you're kind of pissing me off right now, so how about I shut your mouth for a little bit?

"So you're that disgusted, huh?" he mused aloud, a corner of his mouth tilting up into a mocking smile as Terasaka's focus turned towards him. "If you don't like it, just kill him. I mean, that's kind of what we're here for."

My statistics say 90% of mindless thugs react to taunts with physical violence. I really don't think you're going to be the 10% who don't.

Terasaka sneered at him. "What the hell, Karma? You wanna pick a fight with me?" Stomping his way over to where Karma stood leaned against the wall, he jabbed a finger in his face. "Fine! I've had a problem with you from the start-"

Nope, you're not.

Pushing away from the wall into a firm stance, Karma's hand whipped out of his pocket and clamped around Terasaka's face, fingers digging bruises into the other's face. See? he thought smugly as he watched sweat bead on Terasaka's forehead. That shut you up. Smirking, he held his finger to his lips in a shh! motion. "Now, now, Terasaka," he purred. "If you want to fight, actions must come before words."

He slapped Karma's hand away, eyes murderous. "Hands off!" Turning away, he stalked out of the classroom, growling insults under his breath.

"What's with him?" Maehara asked.

Isogai sighed. "He just has to stir things up."

Karma leaned back against the wall, head tilted up as he closed his eyes, a faint smile playing across his lips. I'll have to keep an eye on my things for a while. I don't want anything being trashed or 'lost' because Terasaka got his feelings hurt.

Inside his pocket, his right hand stung.

Standing before the ruined pool, classmates nowhere in sight, Karma thought, There's no way I could have seen this coming. Beside him, the blood had drained from Terasaka's face, leaving him bone white and shaking. Karma wondered if he would faint.

"I didn't know about any of this," he mumbled, voice weak and trembling. "They told me something completely different. . . I only heard that it would call Itona out and he'd push that octopus into the water."

Eyes narrowed into a scowl, Karma mentally pieced the puzzle together. He didn't like the picture. "So that's it, huh? This wasn't a plan you came up with on your own. Basically, those two completely used you."

Stupid Shiro with his stupid secrets and his stupid plans and his stupid sidekick. Dammit!

Terasaka latched onto Karma's shirt, shouting, "I'm telling you, this isn't my fault!" His face twisted into a sick grimace, a parody of a smile. "The ones who set this thing up are the real bad guys. And everyone getting carried away by the water, it's all because of them!"

. . .You're so childish, Terasaka.

Karma drew a fist back and slammed it against Terasaka's cheek, the force of it knocking the other boy to the ground. He scowled down at him, eyes like shards of ice and face void of the mocking smile he usually wore.

It's pissing me off.

"It's a good thing the target moves at Mach 20 speed," Karma said flatly. "If he didn't, you'd be guilty of mass murder. The guys in the class weren't the ones who got carried away. You were." He moved past Terasaka, setting out to find the rest of his class. As he leapt down from the ridge, he called back, "If you've got time to point fingers, then how about using your head to figure out what you want to do about it?"

He didn't hear a reply. He wasn't expecting one.

As he raced through the forest, his thoughts assaulted him. What if they're already dead? Even at Mach 20, Korosensei is just one person. Saving over twenty people can't be an easy feat, especially if water weakens him. He doesn't do well in new environments or with surprises. He couldn't have suspected Shiro to be the mastermind behind Terasaka's assassination. He wouldn't have been prepared for that! What if they're already dead? I left them alone, again, and look what happened! Something salty stung in his eyes. He pretended it was sweat. Assassination brought us together. Assassination gave me friends, gave me a mentor, gave me a space I can be myself. I can't even get that at my own house. Please don't let assassination be what takes them away.

The voice giggled. That's what you get for relying on people! it sang. People always leave, you know. Look at your father. Look at your brother. Your own mother can't wait to get away from you! Even your stepfather doesn't care. He likes to play the nice guy, but really, what good has he done you? His words are pretty, but where's his action? The one thing he's done for you was enrolling you in Kunugigaoka, and look how that's turned out! Does he even know who you truly are? If your own family can't love you - can't even like you - why would your so-called friends? Why would your teacher? Of course Korosensei wants you to trust him. He doesn't want to be killed, you idiot! He's playing you, and you're falling for it just like you do every time. How lonely must you be to crave companionship so badly you'll fall for every kind word someone deigns to toss your way? Looks like your classmates aren't the only gullible ones.

Karma couldn't even deny it. Not truthfully, anyway. He hated that more than he hated the voice itself.

Rather than fail at refuting his pathetic nature, he shoved the voice and all its vitriol in a mental closet and locked the door. That doesn't matter right now. All that matters is saving my friends and humiliating Shiro. If they're not already dead, which they're not, he told himself, they're not. If they're not already dead, then we can turn this around. We outnumber them. If Korosensei can calm down long enough to strategize, we can outwit them. We have a chance. As long as we have a chance, we can still win this.

I refuse to lose a single one of them.

He found them huddled together on a cliff, watching with bated breath as Korosensei and Itona engaged in a duel of tentacles. At first glance, Korosensei was at a disadvantage. Water had bloated his tentacles, leaving them bright red and swollen two or three times their usual size. A few classmates were scattered around in precarious, though not outright dangerous, positions, which served to distract Korosensei from an already difficult battle. Shiro had concocted a truly masterful plan.

People were speaking around him, but he didn't pay attention to the words. His own thoughts jumbled together in an incoherent mess, fragments of plans and ideas whirling around until it made him dizzy. Panic held his throat in a vice, its grip threatening to suffocate him.

We need to draw their attention away from Korosensei. Or should we focus on rescuing the others so Korosensei won't be distracted? If water weakens tentacles, then it should work on Itona too. Dammit, I don't know what to do! One wrong move and they could drop to their deaths, but of course Korosensei can't let that happen. He'd try to save them, and that would give Itona the opening he needs for a death blow. We have to distract Itona, but how?

He thought he heard Kataoka murmur something about water, but it was Terasaka's gruff voice that yanked him from his stupor. "It's not just 'cause of the water."

Karma listened, silent, as Terasaka outlined the situation for the class. It was a good assessment, especially considering Terasaka had only a few seconds to collect information. Maybe you're not as dumb as you look.

Of course, rage still boiled underneath his skin, and his fist was itching to connect with Terasaka's face again, but he squashed the feeling. If Terasaka wanted to stop spitting excuses and acknowledge his mistake, Karma wouldn't stand in his way. Afterwards, though. . .

"Shortsighted guys with no vision and no goals are doomed to be played by smart guys like them. But y'know," said Terasaka, a dark look overtaking his face, "at least lemme pick who's pullin' the strings. I've had enough of those guys, and I sure don't like the idea of them walkin' off with the prize." At that, Terasaka turned to face him, knocking his fist against Karma's chest and barking out, "So, Karma, why don't you try controllin' me? Gimme a strategy outta that shrewd noggin of yours! I'll pull it off perfectly and save all of them!

Karma desperately wanted to blurt out a huh?! but he managed to rein in the impulse, along with the gobsmacked expression that threatened to appear. Doubt whirled in his gut. The thought of all those lives being dropped into his reckless hands made him want to vomit. I can't do this! he wanted to scream. I can't even protect myself, why are you asking me to save them? I'm not strong enough for this! You need my brother, or my father, or Korosensei. I can't do this.

Terasaka's eyes were locked on Karma, his determination and resolve plain in his steadfast gaze. They didn't betray an inkling of the doubt Karma couldn't push away. Terasaka was an idiot, and idiots weren't capable of the type of manipulation and acting needed to pull off such a look. If his eyes said Karma could do it, then Terasaka truly believed that.
A foreign sense of calm washed over him, sweeping away the doubt and the fear and the nausea and replacing them with the same steely determination evident in Terasaka's eyes. His hands ceased their trembling. His classmates needed him, needed him in a way nobody ever had, and he would be damned if he repaid that need with his stupid inadequacy.

He smirked, any animosity towards Terasaka long gone. "Sure, but can you even handle one of my plans? You might die, after all."

The other boy scoffed. "Oh, I'll do it, all right. I'm the perpetrator who gets results." He turned towards the battlefield, confidence radiating around him.

Karma tilted his head, amused despite the situation. "Hm? Are you going already, even though I haven't thought up a plan yet?"

Terasaka froze in his tracks, face blushing a furious red. "Huh? Er, well," he stuttered, "you haven't?!"

He snickered. "Just give me a few minutes, okay? The last thing we want is a harebrained strategy that falls apart midway."

Terasaka grumbled, but he and the rest of the class fell silent, leaving Karma with just his thoughts.

Save Hara? Distract Itona? Surprise attack? What did that weird chemical do? Mucus? Weakness? That shirt looks the same as yesterday. Might be residue. Needs to withstand a tentacle. Can he? Let Korosensei rescue everybody. Shiro doesn't want to actually kill us. Right? Don't want to get my clothes wet. Same tentacles, same weaknesses. 70% chance of success. Good enough.

Karma pounded his fist against his palm, eyes shining. "I've got it! Let's forget about rescuing Hara!"

A multitude of deadpan stares met his exclamation. Jeez, what's with that reaction?

Terasaka grabbed his shirt, yanking him close to shout in his face, "Oi, Karma, you're screwing around, aren't ya? Hara's the one in the most danger! She can't exactly move around on her own 'cause she's a porker, and she's so heavy that the branch looks like it'll break!"

Karma ignored this. "Say, Terasaka, that's the same shirt you wore yesterday, right? It has a stain in the same spot, too." He snickered. "What a slob. Man, you're just not suited for trickery at all."

"What?!"

"But," he continued, swiping his hand down to pop the buttons on the other's shirt, "even though nobody's home upstairs, you've got physical strength and the ability to get things done, so working out a strategy that centers on you is going to be interesting." He smiled a sweet, closed-eye smile that did nothing to alleviate the gravity of his words. "Trust me and move as I tell you. Things won't go so well otherwise."

Terasaka eyed him before sighing in acceptance. "Saying 'nobody's home' is going too far. Whatever, just hurry up and gimme some instructions already."

After whispering his directions into Terasaka's ear, Karma watched as leapt down from the cliff and challenged Itona to a one-on-one fight, exactly as he'd told him to. Not bad, not bad. Itona's taking the bait. Please let this work. Shiro doesn't seem to suspect anything. Arrogance works in our favor.

"Karma!" Nagisa sounded frantic.

"It's all right." The composed quality of his voice surprised him. "Shiro's not out to kill us students." If he was, we'd already be dead. Don't tell them that. "And it's precisely because we're alive that Korosensei's attention is divided. Even Hara: she might look like she's in a pinch, but Itona's attacks won't be aimed at her. Even if she falls, I know from personal experience that Korosensei won't just abandon her. So I told Terasaka beforehand: he'll hit you with a tentacle hard enough to knock you out, but you take that speed and power and hold on as if your life depended on it."

Even as Karma spoke, Itona lashed out with a single tentacle, as predicted, slamming against Terasaka's abdomen with enough force to make Karma wince in sympathy. Okay, we're even now, he decided. That's an adequate punishment. You still might want to apologize to the rest, though.

Itona withdrew his tentacle, along with Terasaka's chemical-ridden shirt, and Karma grinned. Not a happy grin, or a relieved grin, but a manic, triumphant grin that stretched across his face and lit his eyes. Check.

Just as Itona prepared to strike again, he sneezed. Again and again and again, until mucus dripped from his tentacles, just as Korosensei's had before. Why don't you have a taste of your own medicine?

"Terasaka wearing the same shirt from yesterday means that it was thoroughly covered, at point-blank range, with the chemical in that weird spray he let loose in the classroom. That's the chemical that caused Korosensei's mucus to gush out. So, having made a chink in his defenses, the octopus can rescue Hara."

From below, Terasaka shouted a command at Yoshida and Muramatsu.

"He has the same weakness as Korosensei, right? So all we have to do is use his same tricks right back on him." Karma jabbed his thumb down, and the entire class jumped from the cliff into the water below, their combined impact creating a huge wave directed straight at Itona. Checkmate.

Now I have to get down there without soaking my clothes. Dammit, what a pain.

Sighing, Karma jumped from ledge to ledge as his classmates splashed water all around. Crouching down on his chosen spot, he smiled. Now for the closing act.
"You've absorbed a lot, I see. Your advantage is dwindling." He smirked at Shiro's evident frustration before narrowing his eyes. His voice lacked the mocking tone it usually held as he continued, "So what now? We don't want you to claim the prize money. Your plans almost got us all killed, and Terasaka got all beat up in the process. If you want to keep going, we're going to need to have a hardcore splash party."

The students had formed a loose circle around Itona, each brandishing water as their weapon. Karma could see the fear in his eyes. Hm, so water really does hurt tentacles. I wonder how badly. It might be fun to run a few experiments on Korosensei to find out. Later.

After a pause, Shiro spoke, "We've been outwitted. Our carefully-planned strategy was ruined by the tactics and actions of mere students. We shall withdraw." He turned, and Karma thought he heard him muttering something before calling out behind him, "Let's go, Itona."

Karma scoffed. Like a master summoning his dog. What a pretentious ass.

Fury filled Itona's face, and Karma prepared to jump into the water if the boy went berserk. Shiro called Itona's name again sharply, but it was Korosensei who halted his wrath. "Well? Wasn't that a fun time with everyone?" He retained his cheerful tone despite having just engaged in a death match. "Why not join us -- for real this time?"

Itona paused for a few brief seconds before scoffing. He leapt from the water back to Shiro's side, and the two left.

I guess that's a no.

Immediately, the tension in the air dissipated, and Karma felt everyone sigh in relief. It worked, he thought, elated. My plan worked. Everyone's safe. Korosensei's alive. Nobody was hurt, and our assassination classroom can live on a little while longer. I didn't fail. I didn't lose. I won.

Victory had never tasted so sweet.

"By the way, Terasaka," came Hara's voice from below. Karma instantly shifted his attention to the confrontation, eyes alight with sadistic glee. "You were saying some harsh stuff about me back there, weren't you? About me being a porker and heavy. . ."

Terasaka gulped and lifted his hands in a defensive position. Karma could see the sweat beading on his forehead. "H-hold on," he stuttered through his nerves, "I was just being objective about the situation."

Hara wasn't placated by that at all. "Keep your excuses!" she roared, jabbing her finger in Terasaka's face and backing him up against the ledge Karma sat perched on. "Feel the terror of a fatty who can really move!"

A devilish smirk spread across Karma's face as he peered down at the other boy. "You really are totally tactless, Terasaka," he teased. "No wonder you let people wrap you around their little fingers."

Nerves shifted to rage as Terasaka glared up at him. "Shut up, Karma!" he barked. "You don't get to just sit up there and watch everything!" Reaching up, he grabbed hold of Karma's shirt and yanked him off his perch and into the water.

Sputtering, Karma pulled himself out of the water. It was too late, though. His clothes were utterly drenched. "The hell?!" he shouted at Terasaka, teeth clenched and murder in his eyes. "Is this how you treat your boss?"

Terasaka glared right back, unflinching. "My boss? Ha! What sort of crazy psychopath would make me take a hit like that with my own body?! And even though you're basically a lazy bastard, you go and take all the good bits for yourself!"

Kataoka sighed. "I was just thinking the same thing."

Nakamura grinned, mischief sparkling in her eyes. "Why don't we take this chance to give him a taste of this muddy water?"

Karma barely had time to feel a sense of foreboding before Maehara pounced. Is this payback for the pinching? Karma wondered, as Maehara grabbed one arm and Nakamura latched onto the other. Water splashed at him from all directions as other classmates joined in the fun. Terasaka gripped him in a chokehold, seemingly intent on ensuring Karma took as much water to the face as possible. Despite his drenched clothes, and what promised to be an uncomfortable walk home, he couldn't restrain the beaming smile that overtook his face, even as Terasaka attempted to dunk his head underwater.

Worth it.

Chapter Text

"Karma, are you listening to me?"

He bolted upright, eyes flashing open as he straightened from his slumped position over his desk. "Yes, sensei." Blinking rapidly, barely managing to stifle a yawn, Karma silently cursed. Did I fall asleep in class? I could've sworn I just closed my eyes for a minute.

Bitch-sensei glared at him from across the room. "That's the second time I've caught you sleeping in my class this week. Have you already mastered the English language? Am I boring you? Maybe you'd like to teach the class, then, if it's putting you to sleep!"

Muffled snickers echoed throughout the room.

He smiled around his gritted teeth. "I'll pay attention."

Bitch-sensei huffed, disbelieving, but turned back to the chalkboard. She continued the lesson, if a bit tenser than before.

He leaned back in his chair, another yawn crawling up his throat. He pushed it back down. One hand reached up to rub some awareness back into his eyes, the another pinched his thigh harshly. He'd taken a nap during the lunch period, but apparently it hadn't helped much. You are staying awake, he told himself. Even if it kills you.

English wasn't his worst subject, but it wasn't his best either. Finals were approaching, and he needed to cram as much knowledge into his brain as possible. Judging by the curveball they'd been thrown during midterms, these exams would only get harder. If he wanted a shot at beating Gakushuu, he had to actually stay awake during class.

He pinched himself again.

Finally, Bitch-sensei was done talking. She passed around worksheets, calling out a snide don't drool on it when he grabbed his. He completed his in record time, even after checking over his work, with a tight smile and a white-knuckled grip around his pencil. When he finished, he doodled absentmindedly on the corner of his paper, Korosensei's earlier words playing through his mind.

A tentacle destroyed for a top score, huh? Well, that's definitely a good motivator. It falls into line with my goal of defeating nii-chan too. Of course, these guys have no idea who exactly they'll be competing with. I don't think I'll tell them. If they hear of our goal, they're bound to make some dramatic appearance. That could be funny.

He frowned. Still, Gakushuu won't take threats lightly, even if they do come from Class E. After all, he knows I'm here, and he knows I want to stay here. There's no way I'd stay if everybody around me was a moron, and he knows that too. I wonder what action he'll take.

Class ended, and voices burst to life. Some laughed at Karma, asking if he'd had a nice nap. Some discussed the upcoming exams with excitement, others with trepidation. A few were silent, noses in books or phones or in their own desks, asleep. Karma walked past them all without a word. He needed to wake himself up before the next class, and he knew just the way to do it.

Gasping through the ice cold water he'd splashed his face with, Karma couldn't help but grin. He suffered through the freezing water for a few more seconds before shutting off the faucet and reaching for a towel. As he exited the home ec kitchen, he hummed.

I think I'll be seeing you soon, nii-chan.

When Shindo began narrating about the Five Virtuosos, Karma had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Why are you reading their stats in an announcer's voice? he wanted to ask. You sound like you're auctioning them off. And why are you starting with third place? You have to start with sixth place and work your way up to the grand finale. It's more dramatic that way.

"And finally. . ."

Oh, hey, the good part's coming up.

"The one who ranked first on both our midterms and the national mock exam, the top in our year who rules over the student body. . ."

Wow, you're really milking this. I'm sure Gakushuu would love being called king. Maybe I can call him that when I see him.

"Sovereignty is in his genes."

You're not wrong.

"The student council president, Asano Gakushuu!"

He watched the realization light behind his classmates' eyes as they put a face to that familiar surname. He wanted to smile, to beam with pride and say, That's my brother. That's my best friend. Isn't he awesome? Top in his class, student council president, star athlete, and gifted musician - isn't he the greatest?

At the same time, though, he wanted to snarl, to deny Gakushuu's greatness and say, That's not my brother. I don't know him. I looked into his eyes after three years apart and all I saw was my father. He's an arrogant, self-righteous jerk who only cares about winning. I hate him!

After a weighty pause, Shindo struck the final blow. "The board chairman's son."

After a few warnings, the call ended. Everyone sat in silence, struck dumb. The idea of the board chairman - the man who gave off that terrifying final boss aura - had a son, who just so happened to be in their year, stunned them. Karma watched as they tried to wrap their brains around it. Despite the brave face they'd put on for Shindo, they were nervous. Don't worry, he almost said. You get along with me just fine. That's one son out of two. One half. 50%. Pretty good odds. I'm not so terrible, right? It's not like Gakushuu's a demon.

He didn't say anything.

"We're screwed," announced Terasaka.

Isogai, ikemen of ikemen and shining light of Class E, couldn't let such a negative thought stand. "He's just one guy. Even if he is a genius prodigy, he can't hog all the top spots."

"You'd be surprised," Karma mused aloud. Heads turned towards him, eyes wide and panicked. He smirked. "If there's one thing Asano's good at, it's winning. He's very irritating."

Strange, Karma thought. Even after all this time, the name still feels familiar. It should feel awkward by now, but it doesn't. My lips shape the name easily, and the syllables roll off my tongue without hesitation. I guess six years of being an Akabane isn't enough to erase eight as an Asano.

If only.

Sugino blinked, then slammed a fist against his palm. "That's right! You were in Class A, weren't you? I always forget that. You act like a delinquent, so it's hard to picture." Karma let out an offended noise, but Sugino continued, undeterred. "You must know all about them!"

Nakamura grinned. "All right, Karma, spill all their secrets. Everything you know about them."

His smirk widened. "Everything?"

"Everything."

"Well," he drawled the word out, extending it far beyond its typical lifespan. "Koyama believes memorization is the god of Chemistry, and he worships fervently at its altar. His laugh gets on my nerves, and he really needs braces. And a haircut. And a new personality." He heard mutters of that's funny coming from you, but he ignored them. "Sakakibara likes beautiful poetry and beautiful girls. He has a flair for the dramatic. I swear he had a new girlfriend every week last year. He flips his hair a lot." He paused, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "I don't know why, though. It's not like he has much hair to flip.

"You kind of already know Araki. He was the announcer for the baseball match. I always walked in on him practicing his dramatic announcer voice in the bathroom. He'd turn all red and stutter until he escaped. It was hilarious. Seo spent a while in Los Angeles for his his dad's work or whatever, and he never shut up about it. And nobody was brave enough to tell him to let it go already because he has such a horrible personality. Seriously, his hobbies are probably making children cry and kicking puppies. He gets the most enjoyment from harassing Class E out of all of them.

"As for Asano. . ." The class collectively gulped when they saw the dark look that overtook his face. "When Shindo said he ruled over the student body, he wasn't kidding. He's a narcissistic, stick-in-the-mud control-freak who manipulates everyone around him into doing his bidding. Everything he does, he has to be the best at. After all," he said, and there was definitely not a single hint of bitterness in his words. Nope, not at all. "It's in his genes."

Sugino stared at him. "That was. . ."

"Incredibly useless," Nakamura finished, unimpressed.

Karma pouted. "It was not! I just gave you a goldmine of information. It's not my fault you're incapable of appreciating it."

She rolled her eyes. "When I said tell us everything, I meant everything actually useful. Like, I don't know, their weaknesses and their strengths?"

"I told you that."

"No, you didn't! You just gave us their personality traits. We're trying to beat them, not date them!"

He sighed, loud and dramatic. "I thought I made those pretty clear, but I guess not. So, starting over, Koyama's specialty is science, Sakakibara's is Japanese literature, Araki's is social studies, and Seo's is English."

"You definitely didn't say that the first time."

Karma ignored this. "And their weaknesses. . . Well, they share the same weakness, actually." He grinned. "They're all staggeringly arrogant."

Nakamura hummed, tilting her head in contemplation. "That's. . . actually useful. Thanks, Karma."

"I told you."

She rolled her eyes again, and Karma briefly considered telling her they'd get stuck that way. Gakushuu used to tell him that all the time in that annoying, smug, I'm your big brother and you should listen to me way of his, and Karma would tackle him every time he did. It usually ended in laughter, disheveled clothes, and, on one occasion, a black eye.

He didn't tell her.

"Well, what's your specialty, Mr. Number Two?" asked Sugino.

His fist clenched under his desk, and he had to stop himself from snarling the reply. All his previous classmates had learned that the quickest way to a fight with him was by calling him number two. Of course, Sugino didn't know that, so he forced himself to be civil.

"Math."

Well, as civil as he could be.

Kayano frowned at him, obviously confused. "So if you're number two-" Don't rip her head off, don't rip her head off, don't rip her head off. "-why aren't you one of the Five Virtuosos?" She wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, that sounds so pretentious."

I know, right?

He gave her a deadpan stare. "Do you really think I'm school idol material? They have a very select image: excellent grades and excellent behavior."

She nodded, a solemn look on her face. "You're right. You only fit one of those."

He continued in a lofty tone, ignoring her statement. "Besides, why would I want to be in a group with them? Having to look at Asano's stupid face even more would give me a headache."

Kayano laughed. "I wonder if he feels the same about you."

His nails dug into his palm, and the wet feeling told him he'd drawn blood. "Oh, I know he does." Karma returned his attention to the textbook on his desk, clearly signaling the conversation was over. Silence fell over the classroom until the only sound was the creaking of the chairs or the scribbling of a pencil. For a few minutes, it seemed as if they'd let the topic go, but of course they hadn't.

Isogai broke the quiet. "Wait, you never told us Asano's specialty."

Looking back up, Karma raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious?" He leaned forward, lips stretching into a nasty smirk. "Asano's specialty is everything."

The clock was mocking him, Karma decided. It knew he still had a worksheet to get through, and it was mocking him with all the hours of sleep he was missing. Glaring red numbers stared at him. 2:13, it said. It's 2:13 AM and everybody's asleep. Everybody's asleep in their warm beds, bundled underneath cozy blankets with fluffy pillows. Where are you? Oh, that's right. You're sitting in a chair, bent over a desk. Moron.

"I hate you," he told the clock.

The clock changed to 2:14. He considered throwing it across the room.

"-ma."

No.

"-rma."

Stop.

"Karma."

Go away.

"Hey, Karma!"

Giving up on sleep, Karma raised his head from his desk. "What?" he snarled.

Sugino stared at him - long enough for Karma to consider going back to sleep - before bluntly saying, "You look like crap."

His jaw dropped, gobsmacked. "That's why you woke me up? To tell me I look bad?"

"Like crap," Sugino corrected. "Like death warmed over. Like a corpse. Like a gentle breeze could knock you over. Like Nagisa could beat you in a fist fight. Like-"

"Okay, I get it. " he said, eye twitching. "Thank you for those numerous descriptions. Truly, you've painted a wonderful picture. Your point's been made, so if you could go away now, that'd be great."

"Are you getting enough sleep?"

The urge to strangle Sugino grew stronger with each word that passed between them.

"No," he said. "Because you just woke me up."

Sugino rolled his eyes. "You could try sleeping at home instead of at school. I haven't seen you during lunch for weeks."

"A new game came out." The lie rolled off his tongue with ease. "I've been busy."

It was Sugino's turn to look incredulous. "That's what's been keeping you up? A video game?"

"Yeah."

He considered this for a moment before stating, "You suck."

"Huh?"

"You suck," he said, slow and deliberate, like Karma was a child who couldn't grasp the concept of words. "Do you know why you suck? Because you can do things like stay up all night playing video games and not study while the rest of us are sleeping all night and studying all day, and you still get better grades than us." Sugino sighed. "Whatever. I actually came over here to ask if you wanted to study with us after school, but I think I already know your answer."

For a brief moment, Karma entertained the thought of accepting Sugino's offer. He pictured sitting around a table with his classmates, reading or working through problems, asking questions when he didn't understand something instead of researching the answer on the internet like he usually did. He could probably help them too, pointing out flaws in equations or translations. It was a nice picture, full of warmth and companionship. It just wasn't for him. Karma had spent his entire life studying alone. He wasn't about to break the pattern.

He grinned despite the exhaustion weighing down his bones. "Sorry, but after school I'm going home and taking a nap."

"I figured. Well, enjoy your nap."

Karma hummed in reply, laying his head back on his desk before Sugino had taken a single step away. His eyes fell shut, and the noise of the classroom faded away. If he could just snatch a few more minutes of sleep, he could make it through the rest of the day. Unfortunately, though, he wouldn't be taking a nap when he got home. He'd grab a quick snack, take an ice-cold shower to shock some awareness into his brain, and spend the rest of the night studying.

The very thought of it made his head pound.

"Hold on, let me get this straight. You ran into the Five Virtuosos in the school library, threatened to kill them with your pens, and agreed to a bet with the winner getting to order the loser to do anything."

They nodded.

Karma tried to hide his amusement, he really did, but the thought of those pompous Class A jerks being threatened by pens of all things was too much for him. It started as a low chuckle, then grew and grew until he was doubled over his desk, face buried in his arms as his shoulders heaved with laughter. Every time he thought he might be done, a picture of their terrified faces flashed in his brain and set him off again. Of course, sleep deprivation probably made the whole thing funnier than it really was, but he didn't care. He hadn't laughed this hard since. . . Well, a long time.

"Whoa," he vaguely heard someone say.

"I don't think I've ever seen Karma laugh like that." Ah, that was Nagisa.

"I didn't think he was capable of genuine laughter."

"Should we do something?"

"It's kinda creeping me out."

Something poked his shoulder. "Are you okay?" came Isogai's concerned voice.

Karma straightened, swatting the hand away. He grinned as he wiped stray tears away. "After hearing that, I'm great."

Isogai looked dubious. "If you say so. . ."

He rolled his eyes. Jeez, can't I laugh without freaking everybody out? What's the big deal? Seriously, I'm not a robot incapable of expressing positive human emotion. I do laugh occasionally!

A thought struck him suddenly, and his already bright grin gained a manic edge. "Hey, was Asano there?"

Isogai shook his head. "No."

"Aww," Karma said, pouting. "I'd pay money to see his scaredy-cat expression." He tilted his head, thoughtful, and hummed. "Still, it's probably best he wasn't."

He could picture it: one of his classmates holding a pen to Gakushuu's jugular, bloodlust leaking from every pore, smug until his brother turned that haughty gaze to his attacker and unleashed years of martial arts lessons. Class E had undergone intensive assassination training the past few months, but Gakushuu had years of pure fighting experience under his belt. It wouldn't even count as a fight. Of course, after he had beaten whichever unfortunate assassin happened to have targeted him, he probably would've done something sneaky and underhanded to get said classmates expelled and maybe even jailed for assault. Yes, it was better Gakushuu wasn't there. Still, Karma mused, it might be fun to see Gakushuu square off with one of us. We're a state secret though, so it'll probably never happen. Too bad.

"What does that mean?" Nagisa asked, curious.

He waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing, never mind." He needed to change the subject. "Making a bet with Class A is is practically begging for trouble, but since it's majority rules, we might be able to pull it off. It's not hopeless, anyway."

Nakamura was eyeing him, looking conflicted. Hesitantly, she asked, "You don't think we could win if we bet on who scored highest overall?"

Ah, you're asking if I can beat Gakushuu. Well, at least you phrased it vaguely.

He smiled at her, eyes closed and glacier cold. Everyone had fallen silent. "Let me put it this way. In the past three years, I've only ever tied with Asano, and that only happened a few times. Does that paint a clear enough picture?"

She nodded.

Karma didn't know what kind of aura he was exuding, but it must have been formidable because Sugino changed the subject in record time. He remained quiet, glaring at his desk. Even the thought of the Five Virtuosos terrified expressions failed to cheer him up.

Stupid question.

Chapter Text

Karma had to fight to hold his head aloft as he brought a bite of food to his mouth, chewing slowly. His eyelids drooped, his vision blurred, and he wanted more than anything to collapse on top of his bed and sleep for a year. Tired, he thought, sluggish. So tired. Do I have to study tonight? Just one night. I just need one night of sleep. Eight hours, please. 

“So, Karma, are you nervous about finals?”

Karma raised his head to meet his stepfather’s eyes briefly before returning his gaze to his own plate. “Not really.”

“Oh? Then are you excited? You seem to be studying a lot more intensely than usual. I’ve seen your light on in the middle of the night.”

Karma didn’t even have the energy to squirm under his stepfather’s attention. “We’re having a little contest with Class A. Whichever class gets the most top scores in the five subjects gets to order the loser to do whatever they want.”

“Wow,” Mr. Akabane said, eyebrows climbing high on his forehead. “Isn’t Class A filled with all the brainiacs? Your old classmates?”

He shrugged, avoiding his stepfather’s gaze. “Yeah.”

Mr. Akabane hummed loudly. “That’s quite an ambitious goal. Do you think your class can pull it off?”

Karma nodded, now just poking at the food on his plate, wondering whether it was worth the effort chewing took. Just the idea of moving his jaw exhausted him. It didn’t help that his stepfather seemed intent about carrying on a conversation with him. For once, he was grateful his mother wasn’t trying to speak with him. He didn’t think he could handle managing two conversations at once. 

“Well, if anyone can pull it off, I’m sure it’s you. Good luck, Karma.” 

He nodded again, hoping that would be the end of it. He eyed the remainder of his food left on his plate wearily. I don’t need to finish this, do I? I’ll just excuse myself and go take a nap. Just a few hours, and then I’ll get back to studying. I just need to rest my eyes a little. That’s not too bad, right? I can do that. He could almost hear his bed, filled with warm blankets and soft pillows, calling his name.

“Karma?”

Oh. It wasn’t his bed calling his name - it was his stepfather.

“What?”

Mr. Akabane’s eyebrows were furrowed, a look almost like concern on his face. “I called your name a few times. Are you all right?”

“Fine,” he answered. “I’m just a little tired.”

The frown on his stepfather’s face deepened. “You need to sleep more, Karma. Staying up all night studying will ruin your health. You don’t want to get sick.”

“I’m fine,” he repeated.

Mr. Akabane obviously didn’t believe him, but he dropped it. “I just wanted to ask what Gakushuu thought about this wager. He’s in Class A, isn’t he? Have you spoken to him?”

Karma glanced over at his mother out of the corner of his eye. She’d been focusing on her own meal throughout dinner without paying attention to the conversation, but at the mention of Gakushuu’s name she’d actually looked up from her plate. Are you listening now, okaa-san? he wondered. 

“Yeah. I don’t know what he thinks about it, though. I haven’t spoken to him in a while,” Karma answered. “We don’t talk much.” He kept one eye on his mother while he spoke, curious what her reaction would be. They didn’t talk about Gakushuu or Gakuhou at home. After the divorce, he’d mention his brother every now and then, but his name always made her sad. Eventually, he’d just. . . stopped. Even if it killed him not to see or speak of Gakushuu, he’d rather bear it than make his mother cry again. 

“Oh,” Mrs. Akabane finally spoke up. She almost sounded surprised. “You two don’t talk?”

Karma blinked in shock, turning his complete attention toward her. “Not really. I’ve barely seen him since my transfer.”

Her face fell somewhat at that, and Karma struggled to keep his surprise off his face. What’s going on? he thought. What is she thinking? 

“When’s the last time you saw him?” 

He chewed at his lower lip, suddenly anxious. He didn’t even know why. “Right after midterms, I guess. He wanted to know when I was going back to Class A.”

“What did he say when you told him you weren’t?” she asked.

Karma stabbed a vegetable with his chopstick, glaring down at his plate. “He said a lot of things, but it basically boiled down to ‘you’re such an idiot, Karma, why can’t you be just like me, blah, blah, blah.” He made a disgusted face. “So annoying.”

Mrs. Akabane let out a quiet laugh, a small smile on her face. “So he hasn’t changed at all, has he?”

Karma stared at her, eyes wide in disbelief. Did she just. . . laugh? At Gakushuu? Is she sick or something? I can’t remember the last time I’ve heard her make that sound. He scoffed inwardly, a bitter taste filling his mouth. Of course she only laughs for the golden child. Even okaa-san prefers him to me. Why should I expect any differently?

Besides, you’re wrong. He’s nothing like the Gakushuu we used to know. Nii-chan used to be warm and kind; now he’s cold and empty. Just like otou-san. 

He didn’t voice those thoughts, though. He just muttered, “I guess,” and returned to glaring at his plate.

“Karma?” his mother said, voice still holding that gentle note.

“Hm?” he questioned, not bothering to look up.

“Look after your brother, okay? He probably misses you. He’s never been very good at expressing himself, so it’s your job to take care of him.” He glanced up, then, and blinked when she smiled at him. “Can you do that for your mother?”

A lump formed in his throat, threatening to steal his voice. He managed to choke out some vague affirmation before fixing his attention back on his plate, eyes blinking rapidly. Somewhere, far back in his mind, buried under all the bravado, a little boy was screaming about the unfairness of it all. Why do you only care about him? It’s not fair! I need you too!

I need you too, can’t you see?

Two days before finals, Karma’s body rebelled. He woke with bleary eyes and a groggy head, his throat dry as a desert storm. Staring up at the ceiling, he tried to think. He was supposed to be somewhere, right? What was he supposed to be doing? He raised his head, fighting through the exhaustion weighing him down and pulling him back towards his bed, struggling to see his clock. When he finally managed to lift his head, he stared at his alarm clock, uncomprehending. Blinking slowly, he tried to make sense of the numbers glaring back at him in accusation. 9:23, he thought dully. Why does that seem wrong? 9:23. What does that mean? 

He eyelids sagged, sleep threatening to overwhelm him again. He allowed his head to fall back against his pillow. His eyes closed. Whatever it was, it could wait. He wanted to sleep. He’d been up until three o’clock that morning studying for. . .

Finals!

Karma’s eyes shot open, horror filling every inch of his body. He bolted upright, body screaming in protest. His mind struggled to race through the cotton that seemed to clog his thoughts. I need to go! Finals are in two days; I can’t be missing school. I have to-!

His door opened slowly, Mr. Akabane peeking around the corner. His stepfather blinked, seemingly shocked. “Karma? What are you still doing here?”

“I slept through my alarms,” he rasped. His throat burned. 

Mr. Akabane seemed even more surprised at that. He stepped through the doorway and walked to Karma’s bedside. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he laid his hand against Karma’s forehead. His stepfather’s eyebrows shot up before falling into a deep furrow, lips twisting into a frown. “You have a fever,” he said.

“It’s just a cold,” Karma argued. “I’m fine.” He moved to get out of bed, but his stepfather pushed him back down.

“You need to stay home today, Karma. You can’t go to school like this.”

“I have to! Finals are in two days. I can’t-” A cough interrupted him, his body wracked in harsh fits for several moments. When they finally subsided, his throat screamed for relief and he couldn’t find the strength to voice another argument. 

Not that it would’ve done any good. Mr. Akabane could be just as stubborn as Karma when he wanted to be, and it seemed he would not budge on this particular matter.  “You’ve been working yourself to the bone, Karma. You’re not sleeping; you’re not eating. I won’t let you do this to yourself anymore. You’re staying home today. End of discussion. I’ll call your teacher to let him know.”

Karma pushed back tears of frustration, a lump swelling in his through. Turning his head, he shoved his face into his pillow to hide his tears. He heard his stepfather sigh. A cool hand stroked through his hair, and Karma hated how good it felt. 

“Just. . . rest, okay? You’ll feel better after you sleep.”

He didn’t say anything. His stepfather didn’t seem to expect him to. Instead, he stood up and moved to exit the room, closing the door softly behind him. He listened to Mr Akabane’s footsteps in the hallway until they faded away to silence.

Karma lay there in the quiet as tears of frustration trickled down his cheeks. He wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all but couldn’t find the strength nor the desire to summon it. He hated lying there - helpless, weak, tired - and he hated the tiny part of him that was relieved he could finally rest. 

He thought back to a few days before when he’d wished so desperately to be given a break and cursed his past self. Careful what you wish for, he thought, bitter. It might just come true.

He closed his eyes and slept.

He woke to a soft knock on the door. When he glanced towards his clock, it informed him he’d slept well into the evening. Another knock sounded against the door, even softer this time - almost a question. Karma managed to rasp a quiet come in as he struggled to sit up, and the door opened slowly, almost like the knocker was hesitant to enter. He understood why as soon as he identified the person who seemed to almost creep through the doorway.

His mother stood there. She held a tray carrying a bowl of something steaming, a mug of what he assumed to be tea, and a package of cold medicine. She glanced around the room with a distant look in her eyes as if she’d never been there before, and Karma thought she’d never seemed more like a stranger to him. 

She snapped out of her reverie eventually and turned her eyes to him. “You haven’t eaten today,” she said, so quiet he barely heard her. “I made soup.” She raised the tray higher as if to illustrate her point.

Karma blinked in stupefied silence before he realized she was waiting for a response. “Thank you,” he said, though it came out more like a question. She nodded - a short, awkward bob of the head - and moved to lay the tray gently on his bedside table. She sat gingerly on the edge of his bed just like her husband had done earlier then turned to face him. His mother didn’t say a word - just sat there, staring.

“Um,” Karma said, then stopped. What was he supposed to say?

She blinked rapidly, seeming to remember herself. “Right, the medicine.” She reached over to grab the package off the tray, reading the instructions on the back before popping two pills out. She reached again for the mug before handing them both to him. “This should help, but it’ll probably make you groggy.”

He took them wordlessly, popping the pills in his mouth and swallowing a mouthful of tea. A bolt of surprise ran through him at the familiar taste. He stared down at the mug. “This is peppermint tea.”

Her smile was timid, hesitant but there. “Your favorite.”

His eyes were not watering. They weren’t. It was just the stupid cold messing with him. “You remember.”

Her smile gained a strained edge, like she struggled to maintain it. “Of course I do. You always insisted on it whenever you were sick. How could I forget?”

I don’t know, maybe because you haven’t been around when I was sick for the past four years? Maybe because you taught me to only rely on myself when I’m tired, or injured, or sick? Maybe because the last time you made it for me, I was nine years old?

He tried to keep his expression neutral, but he must’ve failed because her smile disappeared. He told himself he didn’t miss it.

“You need to eat your soup before it gets cold,” she said, avoiding his eyes. He stifled the old, familiar hurt at the action. He thought he was over that. 

Karma didn’t try to respond - just exchanged the mug for the bowl and spoon when she handed them to him and took careful sips. He didn’t comment on the soup, even though it too was an old favorite of his. He wouldn’t know what to say anyway. When he was finished, she took the bowl and deposited it back on the tray, returning the mug of still-warm tea to his hands. He took a long drink, desperate for something to do in the awkward silence that fell over the room. Eventually, though, the cup was empty, and he lay back down - a clear signal for her to leave, but she didn’t move. Instead, she sat there, staring at him in deep concentration like she was trying to see into his mind and read his thoughts. 

Karma couldn’t figure out why she was still there. Surely the obligation to care for him had been met, right? She didn’t need to stick around any longer. It’s never been an issue before, he thought bitterly. Usually she can’t wait to get away.

 The silence carried on for several moments before his mother broke it.

In an almost desperate act, she blurted out, “You used to get sick all the time when you were little. Fevers, colds - if it was something to be caught, you caught it. I swear you had the flu more than any child on earth.”

Karma couldn’t suppress his shock. His eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and he just barely managed to stifle a gasp. She’s talking about Before. She never talks about Before. He swallowed before responding. Slowly, cautiously, he tested the limits, uncertain which subjects were safe and which held hidden mines. “Nii-chan never got sick.”

Her voice was sad when she answered, “No, I guess he didn’t.” They sat in silence for a moment before she interrupted it again. “Can I tell you a secret?” 

He nodded, still unsure of what was happening. They’d never gone so far off script.

His mother smiled, a bit wry. “I think I preferred that. I always loved doting on you. You were my baby. But you were always so stubborn. Never let me do anything for you if you thought you could do it yourself. But when you were sick, I could take care of you. I think I enjoyed that. I never got to do it with Gakushuu. He’d get a minor cold and bounce back in a day. Just like. . .” She trailed off, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t have to ask who she meant. They both knew who else in their family never got sick. She reached out, slowly, cautiously, like she thought he’d smack her hand away. When he didn’t, she ran her hand through his hair, gently stroking it like she used to do all those years ago. He held his breath, terrified that if he moved, she’d stop. She was still doing it when he fell back asleep.

Karma returned to school the day finals began, despite his many attempts to convince his stepfather to allow him to come back earlier. Mr. Akabane had put his foot down, though, and even his mother had told him to spend another day resting. Neither of them acknowledged what happened the previous day. Instead, they returned to their usual script of avoidance, but Karma couldn’t help but dwell on the day’s events. He couldn’t figure out why his mother had acted the way she had, and eventually chalked it up to pity for his miserable state. 

Still, despite his forced convalescence, he managed to study for finals some, though not nearly so much as he’d wanted. His stepfather hadn’t let him keep his light on past nine o’clock, disregarding Karma’s pleas for just five more minutes! One more chapter! One more quiz! Eventually, Mr. Akabane had wrestled his studying materials away from him (not like Karma could put up much of a fight) and wished him a good night’s rest. Karma had sworn vengeance, but his stepfather just laughed. 

He hated being sick. No one took him seriously.

When he returned to class, breathing slightly heavier than normal from the long trek up the mountain, his friends practically exploded in glee.

“KARMA!” Sugino bellowed, an enormous grin lighting up his face. He stood at the top of the mountain, waving his hands wildly in the air. Karma half-suspected the other boy would start jumping up and down, he was so excited. “You’re alive! You’re here! We’re not doomed!”

Karma huffed out a laugh as he took the last steps towards Sugino. “You were never doomed. And why did you think I was dead?”

“You never miss school! Especially not before exams. What else were we supposed to think? We almost went over to your house to check on you, but your mom called Karasuma- sensei and said you were just sick. Still, we almost thought it was a cover-up and you were actually dead when you didn’t show up yesterday either. If you hadn’t come today, we were going to storm your house."

Karma blinked, taken aback. He wasn’t sure which part of that rant to unpack first. Still, one thing jumped out at him. “Mr. Karasuma talked to my mom?”

“Yeah!” Sugino nodded. “I was surprised when he told us too. I’ve never even met your mom! Or your dad, actually. It’s weird to even think of you as someone’s kid. I can’t picture baby Karma.”

“. . . I’m not really sure what to say to that.”

Sugino laughed, clapping him on the back. “That’s fine. Come on, I have to tell everyone we can stop planning the raid on your house. And your funeral.”

“My what?!”

Several days later found Karma standing beneath a tree, shaking with frustrated rage. Three points. Three freaking points! He snarled, crumpling the paper in his hand and throwing it to the ground. He stomped it into the dust until even that wasn’t enough to satisfy his anger. Wheeling around towards the tree, he balled up his fist and slammed it against the bark. The sharp spike of pain grounded him, kept the tears from spilling over onto his face, so he did it again. Again, again, and again, he slammed his fist against the tree, his mind all the while screaming obscenities.  

His ranking mocked him - that stupid little number two that would never leave him alone! How can I be an assassin when I can’t even kill a stupid exam?! How can I show my face to okaa-san with that humiliating score? This class is supposed to be helping! So much for beating nii-chan! This is my last year to win and I’m blowing it! Why am I such a freaking IDIOT?!

He pulled his fist back for another punch, uncaring of the blood dripping from his knuckles, but a squishy yellow tentacle grabbed it before it landed against the tree. Karma glared furiously at Korosensei’s dumb grinning face, yanking his arm away. He threw a halfhearted punch in the teacher’s direction. Korosensei dodged it (obviously). Still, that didn’t help Karma’s foul mood.

“Go away!” he shouted. “Just go away, you stupid octopus!”

“Karma, what is this all about? You performed admirably in your exams. Second overall in your grade is quite an achievement.”

Karma laughed, incredulous. “Really? You think second place is something to be proud of? How dumb are you?! You think my brother would be satisfied with second place? My father?! It’s not good enough!” he yelled, hands clenched tightly at his sides. The skin on his knuckles stung something fierce, but he welcomed the pain. “It’s never good enough!”

I’m never good enough hung unspoken in the air, but they both heard it anyway.

Korosensei was quiet a long time before he spoke. “I don’t think the fault lies with you, Karma. Your best is always good enough. Only a fool would think otherwise. I know you did your very best, and so do your friends. No one here would ask any more of you. No one should.”

His face scrunched up, a desperate attempt to halt the flow of tears, but a few leaked out. He scrubbed furiously at his face until they were gone. Korosensei didn’t say anything, just lay a comforting tentacle on his shoulder until he regained control.

When he had, Korosensei clapped his tentacles together, his ever-present grin growing even wider. “Now come! We have some celebrating to do! My class has won their first academic victory!” Tears welled up in his beady eyes and he sniffled. “Sensei is so proud!”

Karma scoffed, but he followed his teacher dutifully towards the classroom.

Karma stared at the scene before him, exhaustion weighing on his bones. I wanted to avoid my brother, he thought mournfully, not get in a verbal sparring match with him. This sucks, he sighed.

Sugino, Nagisa, and Kayano faced off against Gakushuu and his cronies. Karma couldn’t hear what was being said, but he could guess. His brother wore the familiar smug expression Karma hated so much. He wanted desperately to turn around and walk away, but even from a distance he could see the tense line of Sugino’s shoulders and the anxiety pouring off Nagisa in waves. He knew he couldn’t leave his friends alone.

His hand clenched around the straps of his bag in a white-knuckled grip. He drew in a deep breath, let it out in a puff, and pasted on a wide, obnoxious smirk. As he moved closer to the group, he called out, “Hey, Asano. Long time no see.” 

Violet eyes shifted towards him. “There you are, Akabane. I thought you’d be off hiding somewhere, licking your wounds.” He tilted his head, lips twisted into a mocking grin. ”What was it you said after midterms? ‘I’ll steal your title and knock you off your pedestal,’ right?” He tutted, disapproving. “It’s best to ensure you can follow through before you make threats. Pride cometh before the fall, you know.”

Karma sneered. “That’s funny, I could say the same to you. After all, it was your little friends who issued a challenge they couldn’t even win.” His eyes widened, a mimicry of chagrin upon his face. “Oh, sorry. I meant to say minions. Everyone knows you don’t have any real friends.”

“Like you’re one to talk,” Gakushuu spit back. “Are you even capable of friendship? Without threats or blackmail, that is.”

Karma bared his teeth in a feral grin. “At least I’m honest. You don’t see me manipulating everyone around me into being my slave.” He hadn’t noticed, but as they’d been speaking they’d both stepped closer and closer until they stood nose to nose, both snarling in the other’s face. Their friends watched, eyes wide, either unwilling or unable to stop them.

Gakushuu scoffed. “Honest? You wouldn’t know honesty if it bit you, Akabane.”

“Careful, Asano, no one likes a hypocrite,” he snarled in response. “We all know who the king of lies is.”

“Oh, no,” Gakushuu said, eyes and voice cold as ice. “I think that’s one title you’ve definitely earned. I don’t think I’ve heard a single honest thing from you since we started junior high.”

What can I say? he thought, desperate. What can I say that will hurt him the most? What’s his weakest point? 

Ah, of course. It has to be that.

Karma’s lips twisted into the nastiest sneer he could manage, eyes alight with manic fury. “You’re just like your father,” he spat out.

Gakushuu stared at him, expressionless. “And you’re just like yours.”

Karma saw red. Before he knew it, he’d reached out and grabbed Gakushuu’s collar in his fist, the other drawing back for a punch. Pure rage pulsed through his veins, leaving him high on adrenaline. His chest heaved for air; black spots danced throughout his vision. He was going to knock Gakushuu’s teeth out, even if it got him expelled. Gakushuu apparently felt the same way. He’d latched onto Karma’s collar, arm raised and ready to strike. Neither of them realized it but they stood as mirror images, right arms about to strike, left wrapped in the fabric of each other’s shirts, twin expressions of fury emblazoned on their faces. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Sugino yelled, panic lacing his voice. Suddenly two pairs of arms wrapped around his waist, another pair latching onto his legs, jerking him away from Gakushuu. Karma fought against them, snarling wordlessly. No! I won’t let him win this! I refuse!

Sakakibara and Araki were in a similar situation with Gakushuu, whispering furiously in his ear as he struggled in their grip. They wore matching looks of shock. He’d bet they’d never seen their leader so emotional, so uncomposed. If Karma was less angry, he’d want to laugh at them.

Instead, he snarled at Sugino and whoever else was holding him back, “Let me go, dammit!” He punctuated his demand with an elbow to someone’s ribs. A grunt of pain answered him, but neither pair of arms loosened even a fraction. 

Gakushuu, ever the sensible one, cooled down first. Twisting limbs came to a stop as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply through his nose, then out his mouth. When he opened his eyes, they were blank. “Let go,” he said, voice flat.

Sakakibara and Araki let go immediately, like if they’d held on any longer they would’ve been burned. Ah, but can you be burned by ice? I guess you’d call that frostbite. Fitting for Gakushuu. 

His brother stood, smoothing his uniform as his spine straightened. One hand reached to tame the mess his hair had become; when it fell back against his side, he appeared as impeccable as ever. Even his expression had faded to cool placidity. Every ounce of real emotion had been smoothed away, just like the wrinkles in his shirt. Karma hated him for it.

“Akabane,” Gakushuu said, and Karma hated him even more for his even tone. “Your invitation to return to Class A remains open. I advise you to make the wise decision and accept it.”

“I’d rather die,” he said, lips twisted into a scowl.

One perfectly sculpted eyebrow lifted. “Well,” his brother said, somehow managing to convey his complete un surprise and disappointment in a single syllable. “I guess you never could be accused of being wise.”

Karma didn’t respond, just glared until Gakushuu turned around and walked away, his sycophants trailing awkwardly behind him. He waited until they were out of sight before trying to jerk his limbs free. The hands holding him still didn’t loosen, though, and he growled in frustration.

“You can let me go now,” he snapped. 

“Ehh, I don’t know,” Sugino said, nervous. “I wouldn’t put it past you to chase after them just to throttle Asano again.”

That was completely unfair. How was it that Gakushuu got absolute obedience from his stupid lackeys and Karma couldn’t even manage to control someone who claimed to be his friend? 

“This is insubordination.”

“I don’t recall making you my leader.”

“You’re enjoying this,” he accused.

He could feel the smile on Sugino’s face. “Maybe a little,” he confessed.

“I’m not above resorting to blackmail, you know.”

“Karma, what could you possibly know about me that is so embarrassing it’d convince me to let you go?”

“How about that time at the arcade when yo-”

“Shhhhh!” Sugino hissed, hand leaving Karma’s waist to slap over his mouth. “You said you’d never mention that again,” he whined.

“And you believed me?” 

Still, it was somewhat reassuring to know that, for all his ice, Gakushuu could burn as hot as he could. 

Ah, it’s kind of funny. Our weakest points are the same.

“You know, you say Asano hates your guts, but he keeps going out of his way to get you back in Class A.”

Karma tensed, anxiety fluttering in his stomach. He didn’t let his steps falter, though. He kept the same even pace, walking beside Sugino, Kayano, and Nagisa. He glanced over at Kayano. Her expression was curious - questioning, but not accusing. She doesn’t know, he thought, relieved. I can work with that. 

She continued, “Like, you act like arch-enemies, but you’re weirdly familiar with each other. Were you guys friends or something?”

Well, we shared literally everything for eight years, didn’t see each other for three, and have spent the last two and a half clashing academically. Oh, and we have the same mother and father. 

He definitely couldn’t say that.

Instead, he shrugged. “I mean, we were in the same class for two years so obviously we know each other. We were never friends, though.”

Kayano hummed, considering. “Still, you guys know exactly which buttons to push to make the other mad.”

Karma snorted. “Well, yeah. We fought all the time for two years. Lots of time for trial and error in pissing someone off.”

“Jeez,” Sugino muttered to Nagisa. “Can you imagine? Karma constantly insulting you for two years - what a nightmare.”

“I can hear you,” Karma reminded him, unsure whether to be pleased or irritated.

“You were supposed to,” Sugino retorted. “I barely handled your prickly self for a few months. I suddenly have a lot more respect for Asano.”

“Jerk.”

“Cactus.”

“That doesn’t even make sense!”

“Actually, it kind of does,” Nagisa said, a sheepish smile on his face. “You were pretty prickly at first. Like a cactus. A really smart, really mischievous cactus.”

Karma scowled. “Mutiny.”

“You’re not our leader,” Kayano said, grinning. Karma scoffed indignantly, but she ignored him. “Anyway, back to Asano. If I didn’t know you don’t date, I’d think you guys were exes or something. You have that same I hate your guts but know everything about you kind of look in your eyes whenever you talk.”

Karma tried to keep it in, but laughter burst out of him before he could stop it. “Asano and me? Ex-boyfriends?” He laughed so hard tears welled up in his eyes. “Please tell him that theory sometime. And record his reaction.”

Kayano tilted her head thoughtfully. “Well, if you didn’t date him, maybe you’re secretly brothers!”

Nagisa nodded along. “You do look a lot alike.”

“And you’re both disgustingly smart and athletic,” Sugino added.

Karma laughed again, but it left a bitter taste in his mouth. “Don’t even joke about that.”

Chapter Text

Karma stared at the sheet of paper lying innocently on his desk. In the background, Karasuma- sensei droned on about calling parents and setting up a schedule, but he didn’t process a single word of it. A single page claimed his undivided attention.

Parent-teacher-student conferences, announced the title. 

His expression remained blank, but inside his thoughts whirled. They won’t go, will they? I mean, they never have before. Usually my teacher just called them and that was sufficient. But that was when I was in Class A. . . He scratched the back of his head, mentally sighing. Mr. Akabane will totally insist on going this time. He was reluctant to even let me stay in Class E - he’ll want to check up on me. What a pain. As for her. . . Karma scoffed.

Like she’d ever step foot on this campus again.

He glared down, wishing the paper would somehow burst into flames. The idea of his home and school lives intersecting nauseated him. Mr. Akabane did not belong at Kunugigaoka. Maybe he doesn’t have to come, Karma realized. I just won’t tell him, and it’s not like he’s ever there to answer the phone. Mind made up, he crumpled the paper into a ball, stuffing it deep in his pocket. He would throw it away as soon as he left school grounds. 

By the time he tuned back in to his surroundings, Karasuma was finished speaking. Around him, his classmates chattered. 

“I’m in trouble,” Nagisa was saying. “My mom was hoping I’d make it out of Class E this semester.” He laughed nervously, sweat beading at his temple. “That obviously didn’t happen.”

“Would we even be allowed to leave?” Kayano wondered. “Since we’re a national secret, after all.”

“It’s not like they could stop you,” Karma pointed out. “If your parents insisted on your transfer, they’d have no reason to forbid it.”

“I guess,” Nagisa said. “I almost wish they could, though. It’d make things easier.”

Karma shrugged. 

“How did you get your parents to let you stay, Karma?” Nagisa asked. 

“I just told my mom I was staying.”

“And she wasn’t mad?”

“She didn’t really care.”

“Oh.” Nagisa blinked. 

“Anyway,” Sugino butted in, loudly. “What are you guys doing for summer break?”

Kayano latched onto the topic change with gusto. Soon they were all discussing their plans, school and parent-teacher conferences forgotten. Out of the corner of his eye, though, Karma saw Sugino pinch Nagisa, chastising the other boy under his breath. Karma rolled his eyes. They were clearly talking about him. Well, my family, anyway. Sugino’s probably telling him off for bringing up my parents.

He ignored them, though, focusing instead on Kayano’s bubbly rambling. He didn’t want to think about anything else.

“So what do we do at these things anyway?”

Karms scuffed his shoes against the ground as he walked. “I dunno.”

His plan had failed. Mr. Akabane had ruined it by actually being home when Karasuma- sensei called. His mother, of course, had made her excuses to avoid attending the conference. Something about too much work, maybe, or had it been a headache? He couldn’t remember. So there they were - the two of them walking towards Karma’s certain doom. 

His stepfather insisted on talking the whole way.

“Well, I guess it’ll be a surprise for both of us then! I’m sure your teacher has many nice things to say about you, Karma.”

He pictured Karasuma- sensei’ s scowling face and tried to imagine him smiling and praising him. He couldn’t do it. 

He mumbled something resembling an affirmation anyway. Mr. Akabane got sad when Karma ignored him. 

It was a relief when they finally reached the mountaintop. He’d endured his stepfather’s comments on the long walk, the beautiful scenery, and the questions about his school life with patience, but it was wearing thin. Karma almost thought he’d cry when he saw the run down Class E building looming ahead. His stepfather fell silent when he saw it too. He didn’t say another word until they’d stepped inside, and even then he merely gave a low whistle. Clearly, the shabby state of the class was not lost on him.

Karma ignored it, leading his stepfather to the teacher’s office. He let Mr. Akabane knock on the door. A voice called for them to enter, the two of them mumbling a quiet excuse me when they opened the door.

Karasuma stood behind the desk, greeting Karma with a slight nod before turning to Mr. Akabane. “I’m Karasuma Tadaomi, Class E’s homeroom teacher. You must be Karma’s father. It’s nice to meet you.”

Mr. Akabane smiled awkwardly. “Well, stepfather, actually, but yes. I’m one of his guardians.”

Karasuma took that information in stride without blinking or giving any notion of surprise. “I see. Will his mother be joining us today or should we get started?”

His stepfather’s smile stiffened. “I’m afraid she couldn’t make it.”

Karma fought the urge to scoff and roll his eyes. Couldn’t make it? More like she didn’t want to make it. 

“In that case, let’s begin. Please sit down.”

Both Karma and Mr. Akabane sat down in chairs placed across from Karasuma desk while he sorted through Karma’s files and what appeared to be his own notes. It took him only a few moments.

“I’ll start with academics,” he said, folding his hands neatly on his desk. “Karma consistently ranks at the top of his class grade-wise, and his scores on both midterms and finals placed him in the top five of his grade level. He shows no difficulty with any of his classes and has no trouble learning new material. In this area, I have no complaints whatsoever.”

“That’s great!” Mr. Akabane beamed. “He’s always been so smart. I thought maybe being in Class E would affect his grades - make him slack off or something - but I see I was wrong.” He patted Karma on the back. “Good job!”

He endured the praise, shoulders stiff. “Thanks.”

Karasuma- sensei cleared his throat, reclaiming both their attention. “I’ll move on to his behavior in class.”

The smile dropped from his stepfather’s face immediately. “Oh, no.”

“Pardon?”

“All right, lay it on me. What has Karma done so far? Fights? Bombs? Please tell me he didn’t poison someone again.” He turned his gaze to Karma, eyes wide and panicked. “You promised you wouldn’t do that anymore!”

Karma scowled back. “I didn’t!” Facing Karasuma, he said, “Tell him I didn’t poison anyone.”

His teacher blinked three times in quick succession, for once cracking his expressionless facade. “Er, no, nothing like that. While I wouldn’t call him a model student, there’s been no destruction of property or, ah, bodily harm. I do have a few areas of concern, but nothing that extreme.”

Mr. Akabane exhaled in obvious relief. “Oh, good.” He grinned sheepishly at Karma. “Sorry, but you can’t blame me for being suspicious.”

He merely scoffed in reply.

“In fact,” Karasuma continued, ignoring the both of them, “Most are relatively minor. He’s been reprimanded for sleeping in class a few times, and he suddenly left the baseball exhibition match without telling anyone. We did have an issue with him skipping multiple P.E. classes, but that’s been resolved. Other than that, there’s been no notable infractions.”

“Wow!” his stepfather exclaimed, leaning back in his seat. “I don’t know what to say. I thought for sure being in Class E would make his behavior even worse, but it seems I was wrong.” He clapped Karma on the back again, smiling brightly. “Sorry, Karma! I won’t doubt you again.”

He rolled his eyes, avoiding Mr. Akabane’s proud gaze. “Whatever,” he mumbled. His stepfather just laughed and patted him again.

Karasuma cleared his throat, and they both turned their attention back to him. “There is one thing you should be aware of. Towards the beginning of the semester, it seemed Karma had difficulty socializing. I never saw him interact with his classmates of his own volition. Frankly, he avoided them whenever he could.”

“Yes,” his stepfather agreed, wincing. “He tends to isolate himself. Even when he was younger, he didn’t have any friends to speak of. It worried me.” He chuckled nervously, scratching the side of his head. “It still worries me.”

I’m right here! he almost yelled. 

Karasuma nodded. “With that said, he now has no trouble socializing at all.”

Mr. Akabane froze, his hand still pressed against his head. “Huh?”

“He interacts with his classmates frequently,” Mr. Karasuma continued, oblivious. “I mostly see him with Sugino Tomohito, Shiota Nagisa, and Kayano Kaede, but he does talk to the others. If anything, it’s rare to see him by himself now.”

Karma watched his stepfather’s hand fall slowly to his lap, unable to make out the expression on his face. “You mean to tell me that Karma has actually made real, genuine friends?” His head swiveled towards Karma, eyes wide. “Is that true?”

He squirmed, shrugging his shoulders. “Yeah, I guess.”

If he thought his stepfather was happy before, now he was radiant. “You made a friend!” he whooped, exuberant. He blinked then, head tilted questioningly. “You said. . . three different names?” he asked Karasuma. 

“Yes.”

Mr. Akabane’s joy returned threefold. “You made three friends!” Addressing Karasuma, he said, “ Sensei, I don’t know what methods you use, but I’m behind them 100%! Your results speak for themselves. If you got this kid to actually talk to his classmates, let alone befriend them, then you’ve already done more than the main campus and Class A could do in two years.” His stepfather breathed a sigh of profound relief, like he’d just had an enormous burden taken from him. “I’m so glad! I was worried he'd have trouble fitting in, since he's younger than his classmates, and-”

“Younger?” questioned Karasuma- sensei.

Mr. Akabane blinked, surprised. “Yes. He skipped a grade in elementary school.” He tilted his head. “Did you not know that?”

Karasuma’s frown was deeper than usual. “No. He never said anything, and I never made a point to look at his birthdate.”

“Oh.” His stepfather shrugged, nonchalant. “Well, he’s just as smart as everyone his age - smarter, even - so it’s never been a big deal.” He laughed suddenly, pride overtaking his features. “He did all the extra studying himself. His teachers were shocked! Of course, I never doubted him for a minute. He’s probably smarter than me,” he admitted, without a hint of shame. 

Karma scowled, his cheeks burning crimson. Why did his stepfather have to be so embarrassing? 

“Anyway,” Mr. Akabane continued, “Considering what I’ve heard about Class E, I wasn’t sure if it was the right decision to let Karma remain here, but now I see I was worried for nothing. Sensei, you have my complete trust. Please keep teaching my troublesome stepson.” He bowed his head in thanks, Karasuma returning the gesture. Then turning to Karma, he said, “Good job, Karma! I’m proud of you.” Smiling brightly, he reached out and ruffled Karma’s hair. “Keep up the good work!”

He swatted the hand away, scowl deepening, blush intensifying. “Yeah, whatever.” Still, he nodded, firm and decisive. “Of course I will.”

They kept talking, what about Karma wasn’t sure - his future, probably. Karma, sensing his participation wasn’t required for this part, zoned out. Staring out the window, he lost himself in the kind of daydreams he rarely indulged himself in. No planning, no studying, no review - just vague thoughts and mindless wonderings, the two men’s voices providing a soothing background noise. 

I should probably be figuring out which high school I’m going to, he thought in the far corner of his mind. That’s what sensei is going to want to know soon. Too bad I have no clue. Do I want to continue with Kunugigaoka and Gakushuu? Or do I want to cut ties? Ah, I have no clue.

“That’s all I needed to discuss with you today,” Karasuma- sensei said, pulling him from his thoughts. “Do you have anything you’d like to ask me?”

“No,” his stepfather said. “I think we’ve covered everything.”

“Karma, anything you’d like to add?” asked Karasuma.

“No.”

“Very well, then.” Karasuma stood up, the two of them following suit. “It was a pleasure to meet you.” 

Your face says otherwise, Karma thought.

They followed him to the door, Mr. Akabane echoing Karasuma- sensei’s social pleasantry with enthusiasm. They bid his teacher goodbye, exiting the office, walking silently side by side out the building and down the hill.

Karma kept his gaze on his shoes as they walked, ignoring his stepfather’s presence. For once, the other seemed to accept that - he made no move to start a conversation. When Karma watched him from the corner of his eye, his stepfather was frowning, deep in thought. Whatever happiness he’d felt during the meeting had disappeared. He seemed almost. . . melancholy. 

It was disconcerting. He didn’t know what to do without Mr. Akabane’s aimless chatter. He tried to ignore it, but the silence was stifling.

“I’m sorry,” Mr. Akabane whispered suddenly, so low Karma barely heard it.

“Huh?”

“I married your mom because I love her,” he said, still staring straight ahead. “She’s an amazing person, you know? And I knew she had been married - was still married when we met, actually - and I knew she had kids, but it didn’t matter at the time. I knew you guys were a package deal, but I didn’t realize it then, you know?” He laughed lightly, scratching at his head. “I didn’t realize I was going to be responsible for this whole other person. I thought your mom would take care of you and I’d take care of your mom. By the time I realized that wasn’t the case. . . Well, I was nervous. You already had a father. What right did I have to act like one? I was just some guy your mom married.” 

Karma watched his stepfather with wide eyes, mouth agape. He and Mr. Akabane might have lived in the same house for five years, and his stepfather might have made an effort to guide him every now and then, but they’d never had a conversation resembling this one before. Where is this coming from? He’s never said anything like this. He’s never. . .

Mr. Akabane stopped walking then, frowning at the ground, a faraway look in his eye. “So I kept my distance. I didn’t make the efforts I should have. I told myself it was okay to let your mom stay away from you so long. You’re a mature kid; you could handle it. And then you started coming home with those bruises. . . and your teacher told me about the fights. . . I kept waiting for your mom to say something. I thought it was her job, you know? Not mine. But she didn’t, so I made an effort.” He laughed, bitter. “Lot of good it did, huh? Still, I didn’t quite get it. You’re not my kid, you know? I just couldn’t stop thinking that. You’re not my kid, you’re not my business, so I should just butt out. It wasn’t my place to do something. But that was wrong.” 

He looked up, and Karma saw the tears swimming in his stepfather’s eyes and flowing down his cheeks. “You might not be my son, Karma, but you are my responsibility. I should’ve known that the first time I put a band-aid on your knee, or when I told you to clean your room, or helped you make dinner, or congratulated you on your grades.” He sucked in a deep breath before staring straight at Karma, resolution in his eyes. “So you might not be mine, but I’m yours. Okay? In any way you want me. Whether that’s as your father, or your guardian, or just some weird guy you share a house with - that’s up to you. But I’m yours. ” 

He bowed, then. Hands clenched at his sides, tears dripping silently to the ground, Mr. Akabane lowered his head in shame. “I’m sorry, Karma! I’m truly sorry it took me so long to realize that. Can you forgive me?”

“Oto-” Karma clapped a hand over his mouth, shocked. What did I almost say? It just slipped out. . . He scrubbed frantically at his face, roughly wiping away the tears he hadn’t realized were falling. When he looked back at his stepfather, the man was still crying, making no effort to hide it. Karma smiled despite himself. 

Stupid, he thought, amused. He’s not otou-san. 

“Sure,” he said, voice hoarse. “Of course I can, oyaji .”

His stepfather straightened, sniffling. Slowly, a smile broke out, growing bigger and bigger until it dominated his whole face, despite the tears still dripping down his cheeks. Beaming through them, he stepped closer and, just as slow as his smile, reached out. When Karma made no move to stop him, he wrapped his arms around him and crushed him in a hug. Tentatively, his own arms wrapped around his stepfather, squeezing gently. He could feel the sobs wracking the other’s body, but he didn’t mind.

He was crying too. 

“So,” his old man said once they’d both stopped crying. “Tell me about these friends of yours.”

“Well, at first I thought they were really weird. . .”

Chapter Text

“What,” Karma said, voice flat.

“Hi, Karma!” Sugino grinned. Behind him, Kayano wiggled her eyebrows and Nagisa waved, sheepish. “Aren’t you going to invite us in?” The three of them stood clustered together on his doorstep wearing identical expressions of innocence.

His hand tightened on the door handle, knuckles white. He almost slammed the door in their faces but thought the better of it. You have to be nice to friends, he reminded himself. You can’t call them names and you can’t slam doors in their faces. That’s what oyaji said, anyway. He glared at their smirking faces. But he hasn’t met them yet. Maybe he’d change his mind.

Well, he sighed, looks like he’s about to.

“Come in,” he said through gritted teeth. 

“Thanks,” Sugino said, brushing past him. Kayano and Nagisa followed suit, each murmuring a quiet excuse me as Karma closed the door behind them. After they took off their shoes, Sugino paused in the entryway, muttering a vague huh under his breath.

“What?”

“Nothing, just. . .” he hummed in contemplation, head tilted as he looked around. 

“ What?”

“Your house is normal,” he said, like he was disappointed. 

Karma rolled his eyes. “Are you surprised? You’ve been here before, you know.”

“I know!” Sugino protested. “I just wasn’t paying attention before. I was kinda preoccupied with your concussion,” he said pointedly.

He rolled his eyes again. “Whatever.”

“Karma, who was that at the door?” his stepfather called from the other room.

Panic and a plan came to his mind simultaneously. Maybe he doesn’t have to meet them after all. I just have to get them to my room before he sees them, and then I’m free!

“No one!” he yelled back. He got behind his friends and started pushing them towards the staircase. “Move it!” he hissed. 

“Wha-?” Nagisa said as the three stumbled along.

“Hurry up!” Karma urged. “I don’t want him to see you.”

“What? Why?” Sugino asked, alarmed. “Will you get in trouble?”

He stopped pushing them for a second, blinking in surprise. “Huh?” He shook his confusion off with a rapid twist of his head before continuing his efforts. They were at the staircase; as soon as they were halfway up they’d be safe. “Sure, sure, lots of trouble,” he said. Anything to get them to walk faster. “Now move! If he sees you-”

“Oh, what’s this?”

Karma froze, one foot on the stairs. So close, he mourned. Glancing over his shoulder, he plastered an innocent smile on his face, dropping his hands from his friends’ backs.

His stepfather loomed behind him, arms crossed. He raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. “What’s this?” he repeated.

“Hey, oyaji,” Karma said weakly. “I was just. . .” he trailed off. He really had no excuse. Not one his stepfather would accept, anyway.

His friends were surprisingly quiet behind him. When he looked, they were staring at Mr. Akabane with wide eyes. Huh, he thought. They look. . . scared? What’s with that?

 “I can’t believe this, Karma,” his stepfather sighed, shaking his head. “I just can’t believe-” his hand shot out and dug into the top of Karma’s head, ruffling his hair painfully, “-you thought you could hide your friends from me!” he finished, a smug grin overtaking his faux disappointment.

Karma batted his hand away, scowling. “Knock it off, oyaji!” He reached up to smooth his hair down. Glaring at his stepfather, he pointed at his friends, “That’s Sugino, that’s Nagisa, and that’s Kayano. We’ll be in my room. Don’t bother us.” He tried to turn and go up the stairs, but a hand grabbed hold of his collar, pulling him back.

“Not quite!” his stepfather rebutted. “What kind of lame introduction is that?” Still holding Karma by his collar, he smiled politely at the intruders. “Hello, I’m Karma’s stepfather. It’s nice to meet you.”

The three of them were still staring wide-eyed. Nagisa snapped out of it first, mustering a smile. “I’m Shiota Nagisa. It’s nice to meet you. . .?” he trailed off awkwardly.

His old man tilted his head questioningly. “Hm? Oh!” he realized, laughing a little. “Sorry. My name’s Akabane too. Karma took my last name when his mom and I got married.”

“Nice to meet you, Akabane-san,” Nagisa said, Kayano and Sugino echoing after him.

“So,” his stepfather said gleefully, “You’re Karma’s friends.” He said the word with relish. “I’ve wanted to meet you for a while, but my troublesome stepson-” he shook Karma for emphasis “-wouldn’t let me. Now that you’re here and he can’t stop me anymore, why don’t you stay for dinner?”

Karma glared daggers at Nagisa, silently promising vengeance if he agreed. If I can get Nagisa to say no, Sugino and Kayano will decline too. He glared harder. Say no, he compelled with his eyes. Say no.

Nagisa, in an act of complete betrayal, merely tilted his head and chirped, “We’d love to,” with a guileless smile.

With that, Karma’s hope for a quiet evening erupted in flames.

“Excellent!” said Mr. Akabane, a genuine smile on his face. “You kids can head on up now. I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready.”

Kayano blinked, surprised. “Huh? Shouldn’t we say hello to Karma’s mom?”

His stepfather chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. “Ah, not right now. She’s busy. You’ll see her at dinner, though. You can introduce yourselves then.” He pushed Karma towards them then. “Go on! Or I’ll start showing them your baby pictures,” he said, an evil look on his face. 

Karma obeyed, but not without glaring over his shoulder and saying, “Don’t be weird! You don’t even have my baby pictures!”

“Oh, are you sure about that?”

He huffed in annoyance, stomping up the stairs, friends in tow. He wasn’t sure, so he didn’t bother arguing. If anyone could somehow scrounge up embarrassing pictures of Karma, it’d be that man. Stupid oyaji.

He led the others to his room, slamming the door behind them. By the time he turned around, Kayano was studying his book case, Sugino was lounging comfortably on his bed, and Nagisa was standing anxiously in the middle of his room. Clearly the only one with manners, he thought.

“Nagisa is my best friend now,” he announced, arms folded across his chest.

“ Whaaat?” Sugino whined, still laying on his bed. “After all I’ve done for you?”

“Shut up!” he yelled back, eye twitching. He pointed a finger accusingly. “Don’t make yourself so comfortable!” He pointed at Kayano. “Stop being nosy!”

“Oh, calm down,” she said, waving a hand in his direction. “I’m not reading your diary.”

“I don’t have a diary!

“Of course you don’t.”

Karma buried his head in his hands, groaning loudly. “Why are you here?” he mumbled through his fingers. And what did I do to deserve this? he added silently.

“We were bored,” Sugino said. “And I was disappointed we never got to storm your house.”

“I wanted to meet your parents,” Kayano chimed in. She’d pulled a book from the shelf and was skimming it, halfway listening to their conversation. “I wanted to know what kind of people made you.” She paused before adding, “And we dragged Nagisa along.”

“Literally,” said the boy. “They showed up at my apartment and dragged me out.”

Karma pinched his nose, longing for some form of relief. “So, you’re just here to be nosy,” he concluded.

“Basically,” Sugino said, without a hint of shame. He’d picked up the gaming device on Karma’s bedside table and was about to turn it on before Karma snatched it away. He tossed it in his desk drawer, ignoring Sugino’s indignant hey!

“Like I said,” Karma stated, “Nagisa’s my best friend now.” He turned towards Nagisa. “So, best friend, do you wanna play video games? Dinner won’t be ready for a while.”

“Okay.”

Karma nodded, setting the game up and ignoring Sugino’s loud complaints. Soon enough, the two of them were virtually killing each other, Sugino and Kayano looking on and jeering whenever someone died. Despite his annoyance, Karma couldn’t help but enjoy himself. He’d never had friends over before just to hang out, and it was surprisingly fun. Stupid oyaji, he thought, amused. You always have to be right about everything. 

“Hey, Karma,” Nagisa said, eyes still fixed on the screen. “What’s your mom doing? She won’t think we’re rude for not introducing ourselves, will she?”

Karma scoffed loudly. “Nah, she’s just pouting.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing,” he said, fingers slamming the controls aggressively. “Just forget it. She won’t think you’re rude.”

Besides, she’s the one being rude. Fighting like that when she knows I can hear. . .

His mother and Mr. Akabane had been arguing since the beginning of summer break, their shouts creeping into every corner of the house. He didn’t know what they were fighting about, but every now and then he thought he’d catch the sound of his name. It was driving him crazy. His mother had become even more detached than usual, while his stepfather had become smothering in his desire to bond or something. They aren’t even going on trips anymore, he thought, irritated. Just working here or at their office like normal people. Blegh. They better get over this soon. It’s reminding me of-

Nothing. It reminded him of nothing. 

The point was, ever since they’d begun fighting his mother had avoided both him and his stepfather. She was irritable, snappish, and overall unpleasant to be around. No wonder Mr. Akabane hadn’t wanted them to meet her. He probably wanted to warn her first so she’d at least pretend to be nice.

“If you’re sure,” Nagisa said, uncertainty bleeding through his words. “So how do you do that thing. . .”

A knock sounded against the door. Startled, Karma broke concentration and glanced away from the screen, game forgotten. Nagisa cut down his character just as Mr. Akabane poked his head in.

“Hey, guys,” he said over the irritating game over music. “Sorry to interrupt, but dinner’s ready.”

“Okay,” Karma said, standing up and stretching. “We’ll be down in a minute.” 

His stepfather hummed an acknowledgement as he backed out of the room and shut the door. Karma gathered up the controllers, putting them away and turning off the console. Together the four of them tromped down the stairs, washing their hands before joining his stepfather and mother in the dining room. 

“Hello,” Kayano greeted his mother, smiling politely. “I’m Kayano Kaede. It’s nice to meet you, Akabane- san. ”

Mrs. Akabane returned the smile, though not near so warmly. “Nice to meet you.”

Nagisa and Sugino introduced themselves in turn, his mother greeting them all with the same lukewarm smile. His friends noticed. An awkward air surrounded the group until Mr. Akabane broke it with a clap of his hands.

“Well!” he announced. “Time to eat.”

Despite his stepfather’s best efforts, dinner remained a chilly affair. Mrs. Akabane declined to take part in any conversation, leaving her husband to do the majority of the talking. He and Sugino struck up a conversation on baseball which lightened the mood for a while, but it petered off eventually. Silence reigned at the table.

Karma glared down at his plate. Why are you doing this? he wanted to shout. Can’t you pretend any better than this? You can’t paste on a happy smile and make small talk for an hour? You pretended we were a happy family for years; you can’t do the same for one lousy dinner? 

Can’t you do anything for me?

“So,” Kayano said, cutting through the silence. “Do you actually have pictures of baby Karma?”

His head shot up just in time to see the evil smirk on his stepfather’s face. “You know,” he mused, “I believe I do. Just one moment, please,” he said, standing up and leaving the table.

Sugino snickered, not making any attempt to muffle it even when Karma turned to glare at him. He just rolled his eyes. “Oh, come on, you totally deserve this.”

Karma muttered something insulting under his breath.

“Found them!” Mr. Akabane exclaimed as he reentered the room, triumphant. He carried a small box in his arms and a wide smile on his face. “Now gather around, everyone,” he said as he sat back down and opened the box. “Come marvel at baby Karma, back when he was still cute and tiny.” He sighed longingly at the picture in his hand. “Too bad I didn’t know him then.”

Everyone crowded around Mr. Akabane, oohing and ahhing at the pictures. There were some of his sonograms, and some pictures of him in the hospital just after being born. His mother appeared in a few of those, but, he noticed, never his father. Either he didn’t care enough to get his picture taken, or okaa-san threw all the pictures with him away.

Either was possible.

There were more pictures, of course - pictures of him eating, smiling, frowning, even bathing. Kayano thought the latter was hilarious, cooing mockingly over the picture until Karma snatched it away with burning cheeks and a scowl. Even his mother smiled fondly at the old memories, her foul mood fading away. 

Then, of course, everything fell apart.

All it took was one single picture. It lay face down at the bottom of the box, the very last one to be pulled out. Karma had let his guard down. He’d assumed his mother had destroyed every last trace of their previous life, including incriminating photos. He was wrong. 

His betrayal came in the form of two young, beaming faces - one, unmistakably him; the other, Gakushuu.

His friends recognized their Student Council President. He knew they did. They all froze as soon as their eyes landed on the picture, teasing laughter trailing off. Karma was frozen too. He had no excuse, no cover story, no lie that could explain it away. He couldn’t deny that the two boys wrapped in each other’s arms and grinning at the camera were him and Asano Gakushuu.

His mother hammered the final nail in his coffin. “Oh, look, it’s you and Gakushuu.” She smiled at the photo, oblivious to the chaos brewing around her. “You two were so adorable. At this age, you couldn’t even pronounce nii-chan, so you just called him Shuu.” She laughed softly. 

Karma closed his eyes, desperate for everything to go away. He couldn’t face his friends. Not when they knew he’d been lying to them - to everyone - all this time. He didn’t know what to say, didn’t know what he could say. Oh, yeah, that guy who’s trying to destroy Class E? The pompous, arrogant, Class A jerk? The one I said I was never friends with, that I wasn’t secretly related to? The son of the board chairman? Yeah, that’s my brother. Surprise! Gotcha!

He knew they were connecting the dots in their heads, following the trail of logic to its detestable conclusion. If he was Asano Gakushuu’s brother, and Gakushuu was the son of the board chairman, then that meant-

“The board chairman is your dad?!” Sugino shouted right in his ear.

That. It meant that.

Karma stared at the picture, wishing he could hate it. If only it hadn’t existed, maybe this wouldn’t be happening. Still, he couldn’t find it in himself to hate those boys and their happy faces. How could he, when he’d spent years wanting nothing more than to be that smiling kid again? All he managed to feel was incredibly sad.

“Oh, you didn’t know?” Mr. Akabane asked, surprised. “I thought Karma would’ve told you. From what I’ve heard, he and Gakushuu were close. Best friends, actually.”

Not. Helping.

Sugino forced a laugh. “Right.” Latching onto Karma’s wrist, he smiled brightly and said, “Excuse us for a minute,” dragging Karma along, Kayano and Nagisa on their heels. He didn’t try to fight, just let himself be yanked from the dining room, down the hallway, and out the front door. Once the door closed behind them, Sugino dropped his wrist. Stepping away, he studied Karma, head cocked. 

Finally, he sighed, scratching his head. “Aren’t you going to say anything?” he asked.

Karma watched his toe dig into the ground, tracing imaginary lines and incomprehensible shapes. “Like what?”

“Like what?” Sugino laughed, incredulous. “Like what?!” He waved his hands in the air. “Oh, I don’t know. How about an explanation? How about why you never bothered to mention Asano was actually your brother? How about you tell us why you lied, to our faces, and pretended you weren’t actually the board chairman’s son? How about you explain to us this whole crazy situation because it’s freaking me out!” 

Nagisa laid a hand on Sugino’s shoulder. “Hey, calm down.” 

Sugino looked ready to argue but ended up just shaking his head in disbelief. Sucking in a deep breath, he let it out in a puff. He scrubbed his hands over his face. When he dropped them, he seemed calmer. “Okay,” he said. “Okay. I’m fine. I’m fine.”

“You’re repeating yourself,” Kayano pointed out.

“I’m fine,” he insisted. He glared at Kayano and Nagisa. “Why are you so calm? Aren’t you freaked out?”

Kayano shrugged. “Well, yeah, at first. But. . .” she trailed off.

“But w hat?”

“It makes sense,” Nagisa said. “Doesn’t it? I mean, we were joking when we asked if they were secretly brothers, but it fits. They look alike, they act alike, they talk alike, they-”

“Yeah, yeah, okay,” Sugino said, waving a hand. “They’re similar.”

“Similar?” Kayano laughed. “They’re practically the same person.”

“We are not!” Karma protested, finally speaking up. “We’re not the same at all.”

Nagisa gave him a sympathetic smile. “Sorry, but you kinda are.”

He huffed in annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest. “We’re not,” he mumbled. He looked at them, then, nervous. “You’re not mad?”

Kayano hummed, tilting her head. “Well, I’m not thrilled you hid it from us, but I’m not mad.”

“I’m still kinda freaked out,” Sugino said, “and you’re totally going to have to grovel a while for the whole lying to our faces thing, but mad? Nah.”

That made him feel somewhat better, but it was Nagisa who reassured him the most.

Laying a hand on Karma's arm, he smiled softly and said, “You don’t choose your parents.”

Karma swallowed around the lump in his throat. “Yeah,” he said, looking away to hide his tears. “I guess you don’t.”

Korosensei, I guess you were right after all.

Ah, dammit. That’s so irritating. Why don’t you and oyaji just form a club?

Chapter Text

“Karma?”

“I’m busy,” he said, eyes never leaving the textbook. His foot tapped a steady beat underneath his desk.

“You need a haircut.”

“Then I’ll get one later.” He flipped the page. 

“You need to get one before school starts again.”

“I will.”

“I’m running errands today. Why don’t you come with me? We can get your hair cut and some lunch while we’re out?”

He turned the page again, silent. His mother sighed as she left the room.

Only a few minutes later someone knocked at his door. Without waiting for a response, his stepfather stepped inside, leaning against the doorframe. “Hey,” he said. “Whatcha working on?”

“Social studies.”

“Good, good,” Mr. Akabane said, nodding. “How long have you been studying for?”

Karma glanced at the clock. It was 10:34. He’d woken up at 8:00. He hadn’t done anything but brush his teeth and study.

“Not long.”

“Oh. Well, can you get to a stopping point soon?”

“Depends,” Karma said. “Why?”

“Your mother wants to spend the day with you.”

He sighed, closing his textbook. Spinning his chair around to face his stepfather, he tilted his head. “So? I’m supposed to drop everything as soon as she remembers she has a son?” He scoffed.

His old man gave a small smile. He didn’t answer right away, just moved to Karma’s bed and sat down, glancing around the room. “She does love you, you know,” he finally said. “She just doesn’t quite know how to show it anymore.”

Karma sneered. “Well, that’s too bad.”

“Karma,” his stepfather chided gently. “I’m not saying she’s done nothing wrong, and I’m not saying you have to forgive her right now. You have every right in the world to be angry. But she’s trying. You can’t meet her halfway?”

“No!” Karma exploded, shooting to his feet, hands clenched tight at his sides. His shoulders trembled. “No, I can’t! Not when she’s the one who’s been avoiding me the past five years! I’m not the one who shut her out, okay? If she wanted to spend time with me, she’s had plenty of opportunities! I’m tired of this! She can’t just pick me up when she’s bored and throw me away again! I won’t let her!”

Because. . . because-!  

“It’d hurt too much if she let you down again, huh?” Mr. Akabane asked, a sad look on his face. 

Karma bit his lip, looking away.

His stepfather stood up and laid a hand on Karma’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “Well, I can’t say you’re in the wrong here. She has a lot to make up for. We both know that. But I think her trying says a lot, right?” He patted his shoulder twice before walking out of the room. Halfway through the door, he paused. “Karma,” he said, not looking back. “It’s very difficult to burn bridges with family. Painful, too.” He glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “I just want you to know.”

He left.

Scowling, Karma lashed out, kicking over his desk chair. Standing over it, chest heaving, he wanted to scream. I know that! He kicked it again. What do you think I’ve been doing all these  years? I know it’s not easy! 

Suddenly, his anger melted away. He sighed. Bending down, he lifted up the chair and set it back on its legs. Collapsing into it, he stared up at the ceiling.

Cutting out your heart never is.

He stomped down the stairs, hands in his pockets. His mother and stepfather were in the middle of a heated discussion at the base of the stairs - they didn’t even notice him until he reached the bottom.

“Are you ready?” he asked flatly, startling them.

His mother looked at him with wide eyes, speechless.

Rolling his eyes, he repeated, “Are you ready? If you’re not, I’m going back to my room.”

“I-I’m ready,” she stuttered. “Are you-?”

“Then let’s go,” he interrupted, brushing past them both. When he reached the front door, he looked back. His mother hadn’t moved. “Are you coming or not?”

“Yes!” she said. “Let’s go.” She hurried towards him, a smile breaking out across her face. Behind her, his stepfather gave him a thumbs-up. THANK YOU, he mouthed. BE NICE. Karma just rolled his eyes.

Once they were both situated in the car, his mother began rattling off her to-do list, voice high and nervous. She kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, like she expected him to jump out of the car at any moment. Well, he thought, that’s not a bad idea actually. With my training, I probably wouldn’t even get hurt. Much.

That’ll be my back-up plan, he decided. 

He dutifully followed his mother through all her errands, never complaining. He even allowed her to choose the style of his haircut (which ended up just being a trim that neatened his hair) and the restaurant. She settled on a small cafe, citing her need for coffee. Karma made a disgusted face at her when she said that, causing her to laugh. Both her and Gakuhou favored strong coffee, and (presumably) so did Gakushuu, which left Karma as the outlier with his sweet tooth and distaste for bitter drinks. 

It’s because you’re adopted, Gakushuu always told him whenever he liked something sweet and his brother didn’t. That’s why you like sugar so much. Okaa-san found you on one of her trips and brought you back with her. Really, it’s true! Otou-san told me so!

Of course, this usually ended with Karma sobbing hysterically, his brother trying frantically to calm him down before their mother appeared. It never stopped him from doing it again, though, or from making fake adoption papers to support his little joke.

Karma forcibly shook himself from the bittersweet memories as the two of them entered the cafe together. He stood slightly behind his mother, eyes trailing around the room.

 A familiar voice called out a greeting. “Welcome! Oh, hey Karma!”

His head twisted forward in shock, meeting Isogai’s cheerful smile with wide eyes. “Hey,” he said, more out of reflex than anything else. 

“Oh?” his mother said, glancing back at him. “You know each other?”

“He’s our class rep.”

“Oh!” She turned back to Isogai, matching his smile. “Hello! I’m Karma’s mother.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Akabane-san,” he greeted, bowing slightly. “I’m Isogai Yuma.” 

“It’s so nice to meet another of his classmates,” she said. “He never tells me anything about school.”

Gee, Karma scoffed internally, barely managing to keep a blank face. I wonder why.

“You work here, Isogai?” he asked before the other could respond. “I thought students weren’t allowed to have jobs.”

Isogai scratched the back of his head, sheepish. “Yeah, we’re not. That’s actually why I’m in Class E. They caught me working and booted me down.”

Eyebrows raised, he asked, “And you’re still doing it? What, you want to get expelled or something? There’s easier ways than this.”

“Karma!” Mrs. Akabane scolded. She smiled apologetically at Isogai. “I’m sorry, he doesn’t mean to be rude. I think working even when it could get you in trouble is very noble.” Placing a hand on Karma’s shoulder, she pushed him towards a table. “Don’t let us interrupt your work,” she told Isogai. 

The class rep nodded, never losing his smile. “I’ll be with you in a minute,” he said before turning back to his other customers.

Once the two of them had sat down on opposite sides of the table, his mother frowned at him. “Not everyone has the financial security we do, Karma,” she said. “You shouldn’t point it out.”

He shrugged. “He might be poor, but he’s the most popular guy in our class. I don’t think he minds.”

“You can’t know what’s in another person’s heart. He might mind very much. It’s better to be on the safe side than hurt someone’s feelings, especially someone close to you.”

Karma had to literally bite his tongue to keep his instinctual reply from spilling out.

Yeah, he thought. It would be absolutely terrible to hurt someone by being careless with their feelings. That would just be the worst thing ever. People can be so cruel and never even realize it. Don’t you agree, okaa-san? 

“Whatever,” was all he said.

She sighed but didn’t argue anymore. They sat in silence, each reading over the menu without saying a word to the other. Does this still count as spending time together? Karma wondered to himself. Well, it works for me. Just a little longer of this and then we can go back to ignoring each other at home too. Fun, fun, fun.

They still hadn’t spoken by the time Isogai returned. They both ordered sandwiches and coffee, though Karma’s contained a significantly higher amount of sugar. After Isogai confirmed their order and left, his mother laughed suddenly.

Karma glanced at her, frowning. “What?”

“Nothing,” she grinned, “I just remembered something funny.”

“Are you gonna tell me?”

“Hm,” his mother hummed, tilting her head. “No, I don’t think I will.” She smiled, a mischievous glint in her eye. “I guess you’ll just have to wonder.”

Against his will, a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I guess so.”

They sat in silence again, but it wasn’t quite so stifling anymore. If Karma didn’t know better, he’d say it was almost comfortable.

“Well,” his mother said after lunch. “I only have a few things left on my list. Is there anything you want to do while we’re out?”

Karma blinked, surprised. “I need to get more books?” he offered, though it sounded more like a question.

“Okay,” she nodded. “We can stop by the bookstore. Anything else?”

He wracked his brain. He knew he needed to do something, had actually been planning on going out today or the next day, but he couldn’t think through the pressure. What was it? What was it?

“Oh!” he exclaimed, slamming a fist against his palm. “I need to get some snacks, and stuff to bring for lunch. Ramen, or something.”

“We can get you some snacks,” his mother agreed. Hesitantly, she added, “I could make your lunches for you? So you don’t have to eat junk all the time,” she rushed out, like she thought she’d be denied but was offering anyway. 

Karma stared wide-eyed at his mother as she chewed her lip, anxiously awaiting his reply. “Okay,” he said hoarsely. Coughing, he tried again. “That’d be fine.”

She smiled, pleased. “Great! I’ll need to get more eggs, and some fish. Oh, we need more vegetables too. We’ll have to go to the grocery store after we get your books. Do you think we have. . .” she babbled on and on, but Karma wasn’t listening anymore. He was studying the stranger sitting across from him, wondering who she was, where she’d been, and why she’d chosen now to appear.

Okaa-san, he thought to himself. Is it really not too late for us?

I don’t know anymore.

They didn’t return home until sunset, arms laden with bags and smiles stretched across their faces. Struggling through the front door, sacks hindering their every move, they met Mr. Akabane in the entryway.

“I guess you two had a good day,” his stepfather greeted them. He was smiling too. “What all did you get?”

Dropping the other sacks on the floor, Karma knelt beside them, digging through the bag from the bookstore, pulling out his prizes and showing them off with pride. “Look!” he said. “I got this new study guide for Japanese that explains everything really well.” He fished out another. “And this one is for social studies. Oh, and I have one for biology in here somewhere. . .” he rooted around in the bag, eyes narrowed in concentration.

“Ah, that’s good,” his stepfather replied. “Did you get any books that aren’t for studying?”

“He wasn’t going to,” his mother answered for him, her tone heavy with exasperation. “He said he didn’t have time for anything else. I had to bully him into picking out some comics.” She and Mr. Akabane shared a meaningful look between them that passed unnoticed by Karma.

“Here it is!” he exclaimed, holding up the study guide, completely oblivious. “Look, oyaji, it even has all these quizzes in the back.”

His stepfather oohed and ahhed accordingly at all the books Karma showed him, asking questions and listening attentively to Karma’s answers. He even seemed interested in the comics Karma had chosen (under duress), questioning him about the plotlines, the artwork, and the characters.

“Wow, Karma,” he said once he’d seen everything, leaning back in his seat. They’d moved to the living room after the first study guide, his mother claiming her feet hurt after the long day. “It looks like you got quite the haul. Which one are you going to read first?”

Karma bit his lip, eyes darting from book to book. “Hm,” he considered. “Probably. . . that one,” he decided, pointing at the biology guide. 

His stepfather laughed. “Of course. Just don’t forget about the comics, okay?”

“Uh-huh,” he mumbled in response, already leafing through the text. “Sure.”

His parents’ voices were a soothing white noise playing in the background as he lost himself in the book. 

His first lunch of the second semester was met with cries of shock.

“Whoa, Karma! You brought actual food! And it looks so good! Did you make it yourself?”

“Nah,” he said, smiling down at his bento. “My mom made it.” 

Chapter Text

“Huh?” Karma said, sitting up in his bed. “Asano did what?”

“He found out about Isogai working!” Kayano shouted. Karma held the phone away from his ear, grimacing. Geez, are you trying to blow my eardrums out? She kept yelling, “He showed up there today and told him he could get expelled! Now he wants Class E to compete against Class A in some crazy pole-toppling competition!”

He rubbed his eyes. “Hey, are you sure this wasn’t a dream?” He glanced at the clock on his desk. It wasn’t late by his standards, but everyone else was probably asleep. Maybe she ate too many sweets before bed. I think I’ve read somewhere that can affect your sleep. But man, why does she have to bother me with her weird dreams? She should tell Nagisa, if she likes him so much.

“It wasn’t!” Kayano shouted. “A bunch of us went there to see Isogai, but then Asano showed up and he-”

“Yeah, yeah,” Karma said, rolling his eyes. “I heard you. He challenged Isogai to some crazy event in the sports festival. But why are you calling me?”

“Well,” she said, voice high and nervous. His eyes narrowed. “I thought, maybe, since you and him are, you know, you could. . .?”

“What?” he asked. “You thought I could convince him to let it go because I’m his little brother?” He pitched his voice into a whiny, simpering tone, “Please, onii-chan, don’t do this. For me?” He gagged. “Yuck.”

“Please, Karma!” she pleaded. “I’ll make you all the pudding you want!”

“What makes you think it would even work?” he said. “Didn’t you see us last time? We’re not exactly close anymore. He’s just as likely to punch me in the face as he is to hear me out. Actually,” he corrected himself, “he’s more likely to punch me in the face.”

“I don’t know if it will work,” she admitted quietly. “I just thought it was worth a try. I don’t want Isogai to get expelled or anyone to get hurt.”

Karma sighed, scratching his head in irritation. “Now who’s being manipulative?” he muttered under his breath. “Fine!” he relented. “I’ll try. But no promises. And I want my pudding!”

Kayano cheered. “Yay! Try to talk to him before school tomorrow, okay? Let me know how it goes!” She hung up.

He pulled the phone from his ear, staring at it in disbelief. Snorting, he rolled his eyes and tossed it aside, collapsing back on his bed with his hands behind his head.

This is going to fail miserably, he thought, a wry smile on his face.

“Seriously,” he mumbled, yawning widely. “What good does she think this will do?” He leaned further against the wall. 

He’d woken up early that morning to corner Gakushuu before the other was wrapped up in whatever extracurricular he had - How to Conquer the World 101, maybe, or Support Group for Those with Megalomaniac Tendencies. Even worse, he’d barely slept at all. He’d just kept running possible scenarios of how the conversation would go through his head, and before he knew it the sun had risen. 

He nearly killed his alarm clock. Again.

So there he was, outside the main campus building, leaning against a wall, waiting for his brother to show up while chugging heavily sweetened coffee - and all because Kayano had the silly idea that he could talk some form of sense into Asano Gakushuu. Rarely, a student or faculty member would pass by, sending him an odd look, but they never said anything to him. Other than that, the campus was deserted.

Taking another gulp of his coffee, he frowned. It’s not going to work. He doesn’t listen to me. Even back then, I always did what he said. Never the other way around. Besides, he’s probably still pissed about last time. Oh man, am I about to get punched? Stupid ikemen. Why couldn’t he have followed the rules? I could’ve just given him the money oyaji is always sending me. It’s not like I use it, and I’d prefer that to begging Gakushuu for anything. He groaned aloud, knocking his head against the wall. This is going to suck.

His own anger at his brother had ebbed since the incident after midterms. Distance and time had done wonders to cool his temper. He could now admit (to himself, anyway) that both he and Gakushuu were in the wrong then. His brother might have started the whole ordeal, but Karma had escalated it. Not that he would admit that to Gakushuu, though. 

Finally, just when Karma’s patience was at its end, he spotted familiar strawberry blond hair approaching. Pasting a wide smile on his face, he straightened from his slouch, calling out, “Hey! Asano! Over here!” He waved an arm wildly.

Gakushuu shot him an icy glare, stalking up to him with a murderous aura. For a second, Karma thought he really was about to be hit, but the other just growled out, “What are you doing here? You want to punch me now that your morons aren’t here to stop you?”

If only.

Karma waved a hand dismissively. “Nope. Just want to talk.”

His brother raised an eyebrow, scoffing in disbelief. “You? You want to talk? The world must be ending.”

Well, actually it is, but not until next year. Still, good guess, Gakushuu!

“Seriously,” he said. “I need to talk to you.” He kept his expression serious - no sneering, smirking, or mockery. It was probably the second most honest he’d ever been with Gakushuu the past two and a half years. The first being, of course, when he tried to knock the other’s front teeth out.

Good times.

Gakushuu’s lips twisted into a frown, but his eyes lost their murderous glint. “Fine,” he decided. “Follow me.”

They trudged along silently, Karma a step behind. He tried not to read into that. He followed silently as Gakushuu led him through the halls to an empty classroom, far away from any curious ears. Once they’d stepped inside and he’d closed the door, he turned toward Karma, face blank.

“All right,” he said, crossing his arms. “You wanted to talk? Talk.”

Karma didn’t dance around the point. 

“Why are you trying to get Isogai expelled?” he asked. He’d picked a desk at random to perch on, swinging his legs aimlessly. His brother had, predictably, chosen to loom over him from a few feet away. Really, Gakushuu, you’ve got to freshen up your routine. It’s getting boring.

“Ah.” Gakushuu smirked, shaking his head. “So that’s what this is about. I’m not,” he denied. “I’m giving him the opportunity to show his fighting spirit. This is a second chance for him. He’s already been punished for violating school regulations once; it’s not my fault he chose to learn nothing the first time.”

“We both know that’s not why,” Karma snapped. “Could you save the propaganda for your minions, please, and tell me the real reason you’re doing this?”

Again, his brother evaded. “Class E has become far too insolent, don’t you think?” he asked, looking down his nose, every inch the haughty ruler he’d made himself into. “Their goal for midterms, the exhibition match, finals ,” he spat. “They need to be reminded of their place.”

Karma raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “So, what, this is just to remind everyone Class E is a bunch of losers? Hm, getting warmer, but I’m still not buying it. Try again.”

The haughty expression vanished, and this time he knew Gakushuu was telling the truth. “I’m showing my aptitude as a leader, something you wouldn’t understand.”

He laughed, loud and sharp. “Ah, so that’s what this is about,” he mockingly parroted Gakushuu’s words. “Still chasing after otou-san, huh? Why don’t you give up already? It’s not like you’ll ever manage to please him.”

His brother’s eyes hardened. “Tell me,” he said, smooth and sweet as honey, “How is your quest to become number one going? Remind me again what the motive for that is?”

“Shut up,” Karma snarled, temper flaring. He barely restrained himself from flying off the desk and choking the contemptuous look off the other’s face.

“What’s wrong, Karma?” Gakushuu asked. “Don’t like the taste of your own medicine?”

I want to hit him, Karma fumed. I want to hit him so bad. Just once! Just one good punch right in his stupid, smug face. That’d make me feel so much better. It’s not like there’s anyone around to stop me. I could get away with it. But if I do that, Isogai. . .

He was on a mission, he reminded himself. Fighting through the rage, he closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. Biting back the urge to scream, he said through gritted teeth, “What will it take to make you drop this?”

His brother seemed surprised for a moment but regained control quickly. “Hm,” he said, tapping a finger to his chin, a cunning gleam in his eye. “I don’t know. Expulsion is a big deal, after all. It’d take a lot for me to let it go.”

“What do you want?”

“How about. . .” A malicious smirk stretched across his face. “You tell me what Class E is hiding.”

Ice flooded Karma’s veins. “What?”

“You’re hiding something,” Gakushuu accused, eyes narrowed. “You, otou-san, and the entire Class E. I want to know what.”

The desire to scream came back fullforce. Stupid octopus. Why aren’t you better at being a secret? Look at the trouble you’re putting me through. Of course the one thing he wants is the one thing I can’t give. Brothers are the worst. 

“Really?” Karma sighed, rubbing the back of his head. “That’s what you want?” He smiled innocently, hands raised in surrender, pulse racing. “You’re too paranoid. We’re not hiding anything.” 

Gakushuu merely scoffed. “Please, Karma, I think I know you well enough to know when you’re lying. Class E is hiding something.” He tilted his head, eyes brimming with cold calculation as he said, “If you tell me now, I’ll call off my witch hunt. That’s my offer. What do you say, little brother?” he asked, holding out a hand, a crooked smile on his face. “Tell me what Class E is hiding, and I’ll let Isogai’s violation go. I haven’t formalized anything yet, so it’s not too late.”

Karma scowled, gripping the edges of the desk until his knuckles whitened. “I told you, we’re not hiding anything.”

His brother’s cocky smirk twisted into a sneer. “Fine,” he said, dropping his hand. “Don’t tell me. I’ll figure it out myself. Too bad for Isogai, though. If he’d just followed school regulations, he could’ve been one of the elite.” He said the last bit pointedly, words sharpened into a vicious barb.

“Yeah, yeah,” he sighed, nodding his head dutifully. “You can save the speech. ‘Just be like me, Karma, and you’ll be perfect.’” He stuck his tongue out, pretending to puke. “No thanks. I’m happy where I am.”

“Are you?” Gakushuu challenged. “Are you truly happy surrounded by all those good for nothing morons, whiling your days away in that toxic environment?”

Am I happy?

Karma pictured Kayano, laughing as she combined her passion for pudding and her passion for assassination; Sugino, always prepared to poke fun at Karma yet always there to have his back; Nagisa, smiling up at him and saying You don’t choose your parents. He saw Korosensei’s crescent grin, believing in him and pushing him to excel. 

Karma smiled, and it was genuine. “Yeah, I am.” Cocking his head, he asked, “What about you, Gakushuu? Are you happy living under otou-san’s thumb, ruling over your minions from up high?”

His brother didn’t answer. Then again, he hadn’t expected him to.

He exhaled loudly. “I came here to ask you to leave Isogai alone, but that’s not going to happen, is it?” Again, his brother was silent. Karma shrugged, pushing himself off the desk and stretching. “Okay. Enjoy your humiliating defeat then.” He brushed by Gakushuu, heading for the door without a backwards glance. Just as his hand touched the handle, he heard the other’s voice.

“Wait.”

Humming, he glanced over his shoulder. “Huh? You’re not done?”

Gakushuu was scowling fiercely, eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the ground. “Why. . .”

“Why? Why what?”

Gakushuu finally met his gaze. “Why did you ask me to drop it? You wouldn’t have, before.”

“Ah,” Karma laughed softly, one hand reaching up to scratch his cheek. “My friend asked me to. She thought you might listen to your adorable little brother. I told her it wouldn’t work, but-” He cut himself off with a shrug.

Apparently, that wasn’t the answer Gakushuu was looking for. If anything, his scowl became even more pronounced. He didn’t try to say anything else, though, so Karma tossed a bright see you later over his shoulder, opened the door, and left.

Well, he sighed to himself, that was a huge waste of time. Kayano, you owe me lots and lots of pudding.

“What?” Kayano whined. “What do you mean it didn’t work?”

The four of them - Kayano, Karma, Nagisa, and Sugino - stood huddled behind the Class E building. It was still early, so no one else was around, not even Korosensei. Karma had waited for twenty minutes at the top of the mountain before the others showed up, Kayano apparently having texted them about what Karma was doing and to meet before class started.

Taking a drink from his second coffee, he rolled his eyes. “I told you it wouldn’t,” he reminded her.

“Did you say please? Did you bat your eyes and call him onii-chan?” she demanded to know. “Fuwa said that always works in manga!”

Karma’s eye gave a violent twitch. “I’m not his little sister!” he snapped. “Besides, he hates being called onii-chan.”

Though, he thought, that’s probably because I only call him that lately when I’m trying to annoy him. He didn’t hate it when we were kids. Actually, he always got that stupid proud smile on his face when I called him nii-chan. Guess I ruined it by using it to mock him. Huh. My bad.

“So you didn’t,” she accused.

Karma sighed. “Look, it wasn’t going to work whether I called him onii-chan and said please or not. He’s trying to prove himself as a leader. Isogai is just a means to an end.”

Sugino groaned loudly. “That’s it, then. We’re competing in pole-toppling against Class A. Great.”

He laughed, clapping a hand against the other’s back. “Oh, cheer up. This’ll be fun!”

Sugino shot him an incredulous look. “On what planet does any of this count as fun?”

“The planet where we get to humiliate Class A,” Karma answered, grinning. “The planet where we get to knock Gakushuu off his stupid pedestal. The planet-” he stopped. The others were staring at him, wide-eyed, mouths agape. “What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Nagisa said, snapping out of it, lips curving into a smile. “We’ve just never heard you call him by his first name. You always say Asano.”

Karma frowned, rubbing at his arm. “Is it weird?”

“Hm, kinda,” Kayano decided. “But that’s okay. We’ll get used to it.” 

He smiled.

Clinging to Class A’s pole, his brother raining blows down from above, Karma couldn’t help but laugh. See? he wanted to shout. This is fun! 

A kick landed solidly against his head.

I should probably focus.

After the match, Karma watched Gakushuu’s retreating back move farther and farther away, his words echoing in his mind. Can you just disappear? It won’t turn out this way next time. I’ll drive them all towards destruction.

They sounded achingly familiar.

Gakushuu was alone, his intense aura warding off even his closest lackeys. He was probably going somewhere to stew in his defeat by himself while planning an even more underhanded scheme to take down Class E. Karma hoped he choked on his frustration. It would serve him right. 

Still, despite the irony, the idea of his untouchable older brother wallowing by himself left a bitter taste in his mouth. 

Karma sighed. I’m really doing this, huh? Taking off after Gakushuu, he shouted a quick, “Don’t wait for me!” over his shoulder. Nagisa let out a started noise, but he didn’t try to call him back. Sugino and Kayano didn’t either. Ah, them knowing is actually convenient. If they didn’t, I’m sure they would have tried to follow me. 

He didn’t call out for Gakushuu to wait, just jogged silently until he caught up to him. Falling into step with him, walking side by side, he let out a dramatic sigh. “That’s kinda rude, Gakushuu. You walked off without saying anything to me!”

Gakushuu glanced over at him, scowling. “What do you want?”

Karma blinked, faking shock. “Huh? You mean you don’t know?”

“Just spit it out already. I don’t have time for this.”

He sighed again, even louder and more dramatic. Gakushuu’s eye twitched. “You didn’t apologize!” he accused.

“Apologize for what?”

“Apologize for kicking me in the head! That hurt, you know,” he whined. “And don’t try to pretend you didn’t mean to! I saw you look right at me and smile when you did it. Well,” he muttered to himself, holding his chin, “if you count that evil smirk as a smile. Honestly, it’s kinda creepy.”

“I’m sorry,” Gakushuu said flatly.

Karma huffed. “You don’t sound sorry at all.” His pout deepened, pitching his voice into that cloying tone Gakushuu always said he hated. “Onii-chan is so mean, hurting his little brother like that. How could you do that to me?”

Gakushuu turned to face him then, longsuffering etched into every pore. “Karma, if there’s anything I have faith in, it’s your thick skull.”

A smile broke out on Karma’s face - small, but genuine - as he laughed softly. “I can’t tell if that’s an insult or a compliment.”

The corner of Gakushuu’s lip curved upwards. “Me neither.”

They walked in silence for several minutes before his brother broke it. “You know,” he said, still looking ahead. “They may be my minions, but they’re mine. I will lead them to victory.”

“Oh?” Karma said, craning his head to get a look at Gakushuu’s face. “Well, they may be ridiculous morons, but they’re my ridiculous morons. I won’t let you trample over them.”

Gakushuu just smiled.

Karma hummed, turning to look straight ahead. Folding his hands behind his head, he said in the lightest, breeziest tone he could manage, “Aniki was really cool today.”

He didn’t look to see Gakushuu’s reaction, but he heard the warmth of affection in his brother’s voice when he responded, “Thanks. So were you.”

Karma didn’t say anything. The silence hanging between them was fragile, but it was comfortable too. Why break it?

There would be plenty of time for that later on.

Chapter Text

“Okay, everyone,” Isogai announced, clapping his hands together. “Time to sort out assignments. We’re going to set up a rotation so everyone gets a turn at all the jobs. We need volunteers to start off at the construction crew, the daycare, and we need a few to run errands. If you have a preference, let me or Kataoka know. Otherwise, we’ll just put you somewhere randomly to start. You have a little bit of time to decide, but don’t take too long. We’re leaving for the daycare soon, so be prepared!” With that, he dismissed the class.

The group dispersed, everyone forming their own smaller circles as they discussed which assignments they wanted. Some already knew where they would start, some had been pulled aside earlier for specialized jobs, and others were still undecided. Karma thought he knew where he’d end up, but apparently his friends had other ideas.

“Karma, you should be in the play with me!” Kayano urged. 

As usual, he, Kayano, Nagisa, and Sugino had formed a little circle. Nagisa had been chosen to tutor Sakura, Kayano had latched onto the idea of performing a play, and Sugino planned to start out at the construction crew, which left Karma as the only undecided. 

“What?” he groaned. “Can’t I just do manual labor?”

“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun! You get to wear a costume and say cool lines!”

He rolled his eyes. “I know my nickname was half chuunibyou, but I’m not actually a chuuni. Pick someone else.”

He half-listened to Kayano’s reply - some kind of rant about why he was the only one dramatic enough to pull it off - all the while wondering what he’d done to deserve this specific brand of torture. Korosensei claimed it wasn’t a punishment, but it sure felt that way. Karma hadn’t even been there when the old man got hurt! His classmates assumed he’d walked home alone; only Sugino, Nagisa, and Kayano knew otherwise. In fact, ever since the sports festival Karma had bowed out of walking home with his friends.

Instead, he walked home with Gakushuu.

He didn’t know how it happened. Karma thought it would be a one-time thing - a brief lapse in their rivalry. But sometime the next week, he was, for reasons he couldn’t remember, alone after class, and he received a text from an unknown number. All it said was, Wait at the old park after school. The message was unsigned. 

He almost ignored it, almost wrote it off as a prank and deleted the text, but the mention of the old park tugged at his curiosity. Karma was only acquainted with one old park, and there was only one other person (whose number he didn’t have) that knew its significance. So he went. He waited in the park for over an hour, watching the sun set, time slipping away along with his patience. Just as he was about to leave, Gakushuu appeared. They didn’t speak aside from a mumbled greeting and a nod, but they walked towards the station side-by-side, shoulders only a few inches apart. It was probably the longest they’d gone without a fight in their entire middle school career.

Ever since, they’d kept up the habit. Karma still walked to school with his friends (who for some reason were oddly accepting of the change in routine), but the evening was reserved for Gakushuu. They still didn’t talk much - some days not at all - but just being with his brother without their normal verbal sparring was nice. Relaxing, even. 

Of course, there was still so much to say. If Karma thought about it, the rage and hurt was still there, simmering under the surface, waiting to be unleashed. He’d squash it down for as long as he could, though, if it meant holding onto their unspoken truce  - who knew if it would remain after the inevitable time-bomb that were his feelings? 

So he walked home with Gakushuu, which meant he wasn’t there when the incident occurred with the old guy. Karma thought that should mean he was exempt from the consequences, but apparently Korosensei didn’t see it that way.

“Why can’t I study?” he asked. “I wasn’t even there! I didn’t do anything wrong!”

He’d cornered Korosensei outside of class the next day once he’d learned what had happened. He thought he could wrangle some exception for himself, but Korosensei was unmoving.

“This is not a punishment,” he said, still smiling. “This is a lesson you all must learn. But I think this could serve as an additional lesson to you, Karma.”

“What, that I’ll fail if I don’t study? I already know that!”

“Quite the opposite, actually,” Korosensei said. “If you work yourself into a frenzy worrying about scores, you’ll never be able to perform to the best of your ability.”

Karma couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “That’s the same as not caring,” he argued. “I’ll never beat Asano that way!”

A bright red X flashed across his teacher’s face. “False! You are just as smart as your brother, Karma. The only difference between the two of you is that Asano has confidence in himself and you do not.” He laid a comforting tentacle on Karma’s shoulder. “Try it sensei’s way this time. I think you’ll be surprised at how well you do.”

“What if I fail?”

“What if you succeed?”

Reluctantly, he agreed. What did he have to lose? It wasn’t like he’d ever beaten Gakushuu doing things his way, after all. Besides, Korosensei had never steered him wrong before. 

“You’re not even listening to me,” complained Kayano, snapping him back to the present. She was glaring up at him, arms crossed over her chest - about as scary as a toddler.

He sighed. “Sure I am. You want me to do the play, I don’t want to, end of discussion.”

“But you’d be so good!” she whined.

“I’d be better at carrying things and building. You know, stuff that doesn’t involve kids.”

“What, you don’t like kids?”

“I don’t dislike them,” Karma said. “I’m just not good with them.”

“That’s a lame excuse.”

Karma was about to retort that it was a perfectly acceptable reason when, suddenly, Nakamura appeared at his side. She’d apparently become bored with her own conversation and had decided to eavesdrop on theirs.

 Draping an arm around his shoulder, she shot him a mischievous smirk and said, “I know what will convince you.”

He eyed her, curious despite himself. “What?”

Her smirk widened. “I volunteered a certain meathead to play the villain. If you were to play the hero, well,” she shrugged innocently, eyes shining, “a little violence is to be expected when defeating the bad guy, right?”

A devilish grin spread across his face. “I’m in.” 

Now this is what I call fun. 

The next two weeks flew by in a mad flurry of construction, beaming kids, and the occasional assassination attempt. Meanwhile, finals crept closer and closer, and Karma threw himself into his work with the desperate hope it would distract him from the textbooks mocking him in his room. Whenever he looked at them, he was reminded of every single point difference between his and Gakushuu’s scores during finals. He ended up having to shove them all at his stepfather, telling him with a scowl to hide them somewhere Karma wouldn’t find them. Mr. Akabane was confused (he asked Karma if he needed to go to the hospital), but he agreed. He seemed almost excited.

The knots in his stomach tightened further with every day that passed - at each moment they threatened to overwhelm him. Still, an unforeseen bright side emerged. With Karma exhausted after long days of physical labor and no longer staying up until three or four o’clock studying, he slept better than he had in years. Even better, with his mother at home now, she insisted on making him healthy breakfasts and dinners, as well as packing him a huge lunch and so many snacks he always ended up sharing with his friends. Karma was probably healthier now than he’d been his entire life. 

Before he knew it, the sun was setting on the night before finals. He fell asleep with a peculiar combination of anxiety and exhilaration swirling in his gut. He still thought Korosensei was crazy for thinking overstudying was why he couldn’t beat Gakushuu, but he figured the silly octopus had earned his trust by now. Karma would take this leap of faith with full belief his teacher would be there to catch him.

Several days later, Karma’s faith was rewarded. Staring down at his graded midterms, he could hardly believe his eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he’d accepted that he wouldn’t do as well on this exam as he had on others. How could he? Victory required the utmost dedication, not slacking off to play with little kids. That had been ingrained in his mind for as long as he could remember.

But the scores staring back at him were proof he was wrong.

493, said the red ink. 493 out of 500.

He had tied with his brother for first place - something he had managed only twice in the past three years, something he’d almost given up on entirely. 

First place, he thought numbly, still staring at the exam papers. I tied for first place. I didn’t fail. I didn’t humiliate myself. I tied with aniki. In Class E, the bottom of the barrel, and without studying for two weeks, I tied for first place with Gakushuu.

He almost cried.

He kept his victory to himself, though. Everyone around him was in a fog of depression, the two week hiatus not being as kind to them as it had been to Karma. The majority of them had been booted from the top spots. He wasn’t about to rub salt in their wounds. He wanted to thank Korosensei, though, so he decided to wait until everyone left. It was almost torture to keep silent until the classroom emptied, but he did.

Once everyone was gone, he approached Korosensei at his desk. “You were right,” he said, holding up the papers for the other to see. “I tied with Asano.”

His teacher chortled in delight. “Of course you did! You’re brilliant - that was never in doubt. You just needed to calm down. I’m sure some rest and relaxation had a great effect on your mental health. Your problem was never intellectual, Karma, it was psychological. State of mind is the key to victory.”

“So, what you’re saying is I could have beaten him all along if I had just taken a nap?” Karma asked incredulously.

“Er, well,” Korosensei rubbed a tentacle against his head, “That’s a simplified way of putting it, but essentially yes.” 

He could have strangled that octopus. “Then why didn’t you tell me this before?” 

Korosensei tilted his head. “Would you have listened?”

He bit his lip, glancing off to the side. “No,” he muttered. 

“Well, there you go! Your journey was one you needed to walk yourself, Karma. I couldn’t shorten it for you. That is the burden of being a teacher - you must watch your students make mistakes until they’re ready to listen to instruction.”

Karma sighed, waving a hand around. “Okay, okay, I get it.” He smiled then, small and genuine. “Thank you, Korosensei.”

His teacher’s ever-present grin widened ever further. “You are very welcome, Karma. And excellent job, by the way. Sensei is so proud,” he said, tears beginning to well in his beady eyes.

Karma booked it before Korosensei started sobbing on his shoulder.

Walking down the mountain, he frowned at his feet, deep in thought. This is as close to total victory as I’ve been these past years. Still, I won’t be satisfied with that. I can’t. I want to win. No more second place, no more ties, no more almost-not-quites. I’m going to win. Not for otou-san, not for okaa-san, or oyaji or my classmates - I’m going to win for myself as proof these years of straining and clawing for the top weren’t a waste. I am not inferior. I’ll prove that once and for all, and I’ll do it with Korosensei’s method. No more killing myself for victory.

Also, I want to rub my victory in aniki’s face. That is what little brothers are for, after all.

As he approached the main campus, he saw a group of familiar figures clustered together, facing off against a smaller group. Walking closer, he realized it was Gakushuu and his lackeys taunting Okajima, Sugino, and Nagisa. Sighing heavily, he rubbed the back of his head in exasperation. Really? Are we going to do this every time? I’m going to run out of stuff to say. Geez, can’t these guys stay out of trouble for ten minutes?

“Grades are everything in this school,” Sakakibara was saying, an air of suffocating superiority surrounding him as his fellow elites snickered in the background. “Those below have no right to speak to those on top.”

Whoa, thanks Sakakibara! That’s the perfect cue for my dramatic entrance! I always knew you were my favorite.

“Eh?” Karma drawled out. “Then, that means you guys can’t say anything to me, right? Well,” he laughed softly, the corner of his mouth curving up in a condescending smirk as he studied his returned exams, “Not like you ever could.” Looking up to meet Gakushuu’s eyes, he said, “Don’t you get it? I’m the only one that was serious this time around. Everyone else in Class E held back for you guys. They said you guys would lose face if you lost all the time.”

“What did you say?” Seo snarled.

“But,” Karma continued, ignoring him, “We’re going all out next time. When the third semester comes around our lessons will change, since we have to take high school entrance exams, and you guys are in the escalator system.” He began to walk closer to the group. “The next exams will be the last time we’re under the same conditions. The second semester finals in two months,” he said, stopping directly in front of Gakushuu, rapping his knuckles lightly against the other’s chest, “Let’s settle everything there.” Me and you, his eyes promised. The final round. Let’s see who triumphs in the end.

His brother grinned sharply back at him, eyes flaring with determination. “Sounds good.”

Karma winked before turning on his heel, calling out to his friends, “Let’s go.”

The four of them - he, Sugino, Nagisa, and Okajima - walked towards the campus gate together, chatting and laughing about the stupid expressions on Gakushuu’s minions’ faces. Okajima separated from the group once they reached the street, calling out a loud see you as he took off in a different direction.

“Karma, are you walking home with us today?” Nagisa asked.

He shook his head. “Nah, I’m meeting Gakushuu.”

Sugino scowled, pounding a fist against his hand. “Punch him in the face for me, Karma!”

“ Haaah ?” he said, incredulous, arms held out at his sides. “I thought I wasn’t allowed to punch him! You’re the one who stopped me last time.”

“That was before I found out what a big jerk he is!”

He laughed. “Well, you should’ve taken my word for it!” Turning away from the two of them, he started walking towards his and Gakushuu’s meeting place, waving a hand behind him. “See ya!”

They echoed it back at his retreating figure. 

It didn’t take him long to reach the park. It was as deserted as ever: no kids, no parents, not even any grass - just old, rusty playground equipment and trash. Honestly, he sighed to himself, kicking an empty can out of his path as he trudged towards the swingset, why does he always insist on meeting here? It’s depressing. 

Gently, he lowered himself down onto the swing, cringing at the angry shriek it let out. Still, it held his weight. That sent an odd spark of hope through his chest, but he ignored it. It was just a stupid swingset. He didn’t have to get sentimental about it. 

He didn’t try to swing (the equipment might’ve been able to support him, but who knew how much strain it would endure?), just rocked slowly back and forth, humming under his breath. If asked, he wouldn’t be able to name the tune - just something soft and comforting. He waited. 

It didn’t take long.

“You’re gonna break that someday.”

Karma glanced up. There stood Gakushuu, only a few feet away, arms crossed, a smile on his face. He’d ditched his Kunugigaoka blazer for a deep blue sweater, sleeves pushed up to his mid-forearm. It suited him.

“Nah,” Karma said. “This thing will last forever.”

“If you say so.” 

An awkward silence descended. Karma kicked his legs back and forth, not trying to swing higher, just desperate to release the nervous energy. Gakushuu continued to hover. His eyes were distant, like he was watching something from far away. Karma almost wanted to ask what it was because he looked incredibly sad. 

Finally, he couldn’t stand it any longer. 

“Are you gonna keep doing that?” he blurted.

His brother blinked, surprised. “What?”

“Just standing there,” he said, avoiding the other’s eyes. “It’s weird.”

“Oh. Well, what do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know.”

Gakushuu glanced around before his eyes settled on the swing next to Karma. In two strides he reached it, sitting down with the same care Karma had. He looked over. “How’s this?”

Karma stared down at his feet, hiding the pleased smile that stretched across his face. “That’s fine.” 

They sat in silence, neither one making a move. It wasn’t awkward or oppressive anymore - just the silence of two brothers comfortable in each other’s presence. After almost three years of conflict and tension, peace was nice.

Out of the corner of his eye, Karma noticed something strange: a flash of color. Turning his head to see, he realized it was a dandelion. Sprouting amongst the garbage, a little weed reared its golden head towards the sky. It was the only spot of life in the whole park. Huh, he thought, amused. So even in a crappy environment like this, rebirth is possible. Who would have guessed? He smiled, and this time he didn’t try to squash the hope blooming in his chest.

Karma knew there was so much he wanted to say, so much he needed to say, but he held himself back. He didn’t want to ruin the precious warmth burning inside his chest or the fragile truce that lay between them. The cords that bound them together were still twisted, knotted, and even fraying in certain areas, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that. His brother still cared about him. That was enough.

The truth could wait a while longer.

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

“What?”

He glanced over at Gakushuu, a mischievous grin plastered across his face. He pulled his fist back and slammed it against his brother’s arm, cackling.

Gakushuu shot him a glare. “What was that for?” he snapped, rubbing his arm.

He shrugged. “My friend told me to.”

His brother huffed. “Your friends are weird.”

Karma smiled as he leaned back on the swing, staring up at the sky. “Yeah. They are.”